Trying to delete photographs of my baby from Google search results

[QueLinda]

I'm not very techie and i'm having a problem deleting pictures of DD from a site called Friends Reunited.

I thought it was as easy as asking for them to be removed by the site but it's been two months and still pictures are showing in Google search results. Some of the pics have been tagged with her full name so i feel uncomfortable with this info on the web.

Do I need to do something else to delete them? I thought they would disappear when Google updated but 9 weeks seems a long time!

I am not familiar with FR, but I would assume that you would have to change your privacy settings on the site in order to hide photos.

Thanks dyslexicdespot, the photos have been deleted off friends reunited which is why I dont understand why if I type dd's name into google why the page still shows up. I thought after this long google would have updated? Do I need to wait longer?

support.google.com/webmasters/answer/181721?hl=en

I hope this will help.

Thanks dyslexicdespot. That page showed me all the pictures are still 'live on the web' so I guess I should contact friends reunited again. This is turning into a saga!

You might be better off with Google (since it is showing the photos, and probably will be able to show some web addresses {URLs} pointing to the photos). Google asks (from that page dyslexicdespot linked to) for the URL, and if Friends Reunited have already removed them, then you will be unable to get a URL from their site (and anyway, they've done what you were asking for - Google is the place showing them, still). HTH.

NetworkGuy, thanks for your reply. This is an example of one of the pics.

gg.gg/8gk1

I tried to remove it via the google url removal tool but if it's live on the web Google say there is nothing they can do and contact the original host site.

Does that mean Friends Reunited never deleted it in the first place? Even if when I go to FR and search for the pictures there not there any more?

You were correct and I was wrong - Friend Reunited hasn't 'removed' the photo and I think you will have to approach them again. The web link you gave showed their domain name.

I made a 'copy' (captured screen image on my iMac, then cropped the photo to be just the photo plus a tiny border - it was about 4 am and I was a bit tired!).

Used Google 'image search' and it found the only copy on FR (found a 'near match' as my copy on computer had a small border around it).

The fact it is still there means they have not deleted every copy - I would suggest you use the Google images search for each photo and use the fact each one is found when you contact FR again.

I really don't know whether their 'terms and conditions' allow them to keep copies and take away your rights (or grant them a waiver over your copyright).

It's clearly a concern of yours and might be of interest to the Information Commissioner as 'personal data' on behalf of your child, so if FR isn't helpful and willing to remove the images (which clearly can be found using Google even if taken away from your profile / account) then threatening to report them might get FR to take it seriously.

(The Office of the Information Commissioner was mentioned in the news because the BBC found records from 'dating agency' web sites could be bought and some included children's photos.)

Thanks network guy, thats really kind of you to check that link for me.

I had initialy thought the pictures hadnt been deleted (as they were still returned on a google search of dd's name). But FR had said it was a case of waiting it out for google to index them and then they'd disappear from search.

9 weeks later and I emailed them this morning and they now say a technical error is preventing them deleting the pictures.

I'll contact them again and mention the Information Commissioner. I hadnt read your message when i sent my last email. It does feel like they are fobbing me off

Thanks again for your help,