Google has begun letting people in Europe formally request to be "forgotten" by the world's leading internet search service.
The move came just weeks after the European Court of Justice ruled that individuals have the right to have links to information about them deleted from searches under certain circumstances, such as it being outdated or inaccurate.
To comply with the recent European court ruling, Google launched a webform available for Europeans to request the removal of results from the search engine.
"The court's ruling requires Google to make difficult judgments about an individual's right to be forgotten and the public's right to know," a Google spokesman said in a statement emailed to AFP.
Google is creating an advisory committee to help strike a balance between freedom of information and people's rights when it comes to not being haunted by untruths or acts from the past on the internet.
The group includes former Google chief Eric Schmidt, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Oxford internet Institute ethics professor Luciano Floridi, Leuven University law school director Peggy Valcke, former Spanish data protection agency director Jose Luis Pinar and UN envoy on freedom of expression Frank La Rue.
A web form posted on a Google support page asked Europeans interested in being forgotten to identify who they are, which specific links they want removed from search results and why.
Those making requests must prove they are who they say they are by providing digital copies of a form of photo identification such as national identity cards or drivers' licences.
They are also asked to electronically sign the request.
Requests will be reviewed individually by someone at Google, and not handled by automated software.
Google declined to estimate how long it might be until links begin disappearing, saying factors such as whether requests are clear cut will affect how long it takes.
Google quoted the court ruling as saying that users can ask internet search engines to remove results for queries that include their names and trigger results deemed "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive in relation to the purposes for which they were processed."
Google will look at whether the targeted results are in the public interest, such as information about financial scams, professional malpractice, criminal convictions or public misconduct by government officials.
The case highlights growing concerns about so-called online reputation management, which has spawned an industry that helps eliminate or minimise damaging information online.
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