Redmond starts processing removal requests on Bing

Nov 28, 2014 13:59 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has finally started removing search results from its very own engine Bing based on requests received as part of the right to be forgotten, which was introduced by the European Union earlier this year.

Thanks to this right, users who do not want to appear in search engine results pages can contact the company operating the search engine and request the removal of these pages, thus making sure that their privacy is protected online.

Microsoft started taking removal requests in July via a dedicated form published on its webpage, and according to Forget.me, which tracks these submissions, Bing has received a total of 699 requests in the last months.

Redmond rejected a total of 79 requests, the source says, some based on unjustified reasons, while others claim that the results pages actually come from social networks where users need to manually adjust their privacy settings. At the same time, Microsoft also explains that users need to contact social networks directly in order to remove their names from results pages.

Users requested the removal of 2,362 URLs, 1,511 of which were claimed to invade privacy without authorization. 282 URLs caused some sort of prejudicial to the user image, while 73 represented theft of identity.

Microsoft hasn’t yet provided a statement on this, but the company did say earlier this year that European consumers could contact the company to invoke the right to be forgotten, but it’s yet unclear whether all these figures are accurate or not.

Bing search removal request (5 Images)

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