The Inevitable Happened: First Company Provides “Right To Be Forgotten” Removal Service

Now that the European Courts have given its citizens the “Right To Be Forgotten” in major search engines, the inevitable has happened — a brand new business model built on removal requests has taken shape.

In response to the EU giving individuals the right to request Google remove URLs from its European search results, Reputation VIP has launched Forget.me, an online service that appears to be the first designed specifically to help individuals complete Google link removal request forms.

Acting as a middleman between an individual and Google, Forget.me is the frontrunner in what will most likely be the next niche service, catering to individuals who want to exercise their right to be forgotten.

A screen shot of Forget.me illustrates how the service works, helping users select the URLS they want removed:

Once a link has been identified, Reputation VIP claims Forget.me offers more than 30 “predefined texts” to help explain why a user wants the URL removed.

According to Reputation VIP:

An incorrectly copied URL or a poorly written text could result in your request being rejected. By helping you select your URLs, and by providing you with texts adapted to your situation, Forget.me is your best chance for success and ensures that your request is as readable as possible in the eyes of the search engines.

Once the link has been identified and text has been entered to justify the removal requests, users are given a choice to submit the form to Google themselves or let Forget.me do it for them.

After the forms have been submitted, Reputation VIP says Forget.me will follow-up on the requests and notify users of Google’s decision whether or not to remove the link, as well as verify if links have been removed should Google agree to do so.

The service is currently free during its “start up phase,” according to Forget.me’s FAQ. That suggests it will move to a fee-based service in the future.

Reputation VIP’s Forget.me is the first link removal service we’ve seen, but it’s highly unlikely to be the last.