The internet is an unforgiving network. And the web can be scary place to be.
When an information is posted and shared, search engines will always try to find it and index it. And when it does, the information can easily be found by the users of the search engine. This allows the web to grow and become increasingly informative.
However, there are issues.
First, anything can be posted and shared. Even the most unlawful content can be created, and there is no guarantee that it can be taken down. What this means, not only the good things in life can be shared on the web, because the bad things can also be posted, and can be indexed by search engines.
When that happens, anyone on Earth can look for it using simply queries.
Second, there is no way out of this, and for a long time, there has never been an easy way to be forgotten by search engines.
This time however, Google is making things easier, at least for minors.
Google has updated its policies, saying that anyone under the age of 18 can have themselves removed from Google's search results.
To do that, using a form, users must input the URL of the Google Search page used to find the image, and provide the search terms that were used.
Anyone under the age of 18, or their guardians, can request the images on search results to be removed by just filling out a form to report the image.
After the form is submitted, the company will then evaluate the removal request, and reach out for any additional information the company may need to verify that it meets the requirements for removal.
The tool also facilitates the removal of images of minors who died before age 18.
Users will be notified once the image is taken down, if it meets the requirement.
Google said that it will process all requests and and remove images that it is asked, "with the exception of cases of compelling public interest or newsworthiness."
"While we already provide a range of options for people seeking to remove content from Search, we know that kids and teens have to navigate some unique challenges online, especially when a picture of them is unexpectedly available on the internet," said Danny Sullivan, Google's Public Liaison for Search, in a blog post.
“We believe this change will help give young people more control over their digital footprint and where their images can be found on Search.”
The changes come after Google and other tech companies have faced intense criticism for their policies toward children.
At this time, minors are those who were born, raised, and grew up with the internet. They know Google right from the start, either from their parents or guardians, or friends. They know the existence of the web and social media, and they are active in them.
Many of these people are into technology and embrace digital lives earlier than their previous generations.
As a result, they face the prospect of having any moment in their lives shared and preserved online, regardless of their own wishes.
And this form here, allows these people to remove the images of themselves from the web.
The tool states that it is only intended for cases in which the subject is under 18. Google said that if adults want material related to them to be removed, they should use a separate set of options.
It should be noted that Google in removing an image from its search results, "doesn't remove it from the internet," the company said.
Google can only remove what it indexed.
The sources of the images, or the places where the images are hosted, are beyond Google's capacity.
What this means, users can only remove images of minors from Google, and not from the web.
This is why Google said that users should also contact the webmaster of any sites containing the images they want to remove, to purge them from their site, too.