Fake DMCA Complaints Keep Erasing Real Pages From Google – What To Watch For

Jul 04, 2026 07:30 PM - 4 hours ago 189

A copyright title tin region a page from Google’s hunt results based connected a notice, moreover if ownership claims are later disputed aliases inaccurate. Press Gazette saw this hap doubly this year.

In precocious June, the publicity waste and acquisition outlet reported that a 2nd portion of its reporting astir the trading institution Clickout Media had been removed from Google hunt pursuing an anonymous title nether the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

An earlier March removal affected the original investigation successful the aforesaid series. Both complaints cited unrelated contented arsenic the source. Press Gazette called some complaints spurious.

The specifications of who revenge them are still a spot unclear. The March announcement came done a “US Hub” from an anonymous backstage entity, while the June announcement was from a sender the outlet couldn’t identify. In some cases, a live, original page was removed from Google’s results, and Press Gazette questions the ownership claims down each notice.

In March, that supposedly copied activity was a 2024 article connected the tech tract The Verge, which had thing to do pinch the complaint. In June, it was a since-deleted month-old forum station astir online casinos. Neither matched the reporting it was intended to target.

The March takedown didn’t extremity astatine 1 article. It besides removed a follow-up connected the aforesaid communicative from different waste and acquisition publication.

How The Removal Works

Under the DMCA, personification claiming to clasp a copyright tin nonstop Google a announcement requesting that it region a page from hunt results. The page tin beryllium delisted if Google acts connected the notice. The load of disputing it past falls connected the tract owner.

Google’s relationship of the strategy leaves room for this outcome. In its Transparency Report, Google says that group who taxable requests whitethorn supply inaccurate information, that it is not ever capable to verify the accuracy of a request, and that it cannot ever notify a tract proprietor earlier contented is removed.

The rule doesn’t require Google to determine whether the copyright declare itself is valid, which is why a disputed page tin enactment retired of results for a agelong moreover aft the proprietor objects. Roger Montti has laid retired why the statute leaves Google small room to move. When a page is delisted, Google adds a statement astatine the bottommost of the affected results page. It indicates that the results were removed owed to a DMCA title and provides a nexus to the Lumen database, wherever the announcement is stored. A personification only notices this spread if they publication that acold down.

A Tactic That Has Surfaced Before

Copyright takedowns person antecedently targeted hunt results. Back successful 2018, I reported connected a tactic successful which group posing arsenic authorities holders submitted clone DMCA notices to push competitors little successful hunt rankings. Sometimes, they moreover utilized names akin to existent companies to make their claims look credible. These targets ranged from pirate sites to astatine slightest 1 mini business challenged by a competitor.

The weakness appears successful different removal devices too. Roger Montti covered a Google bug past August that fto anonymous attackers usage the nationalist URL removal instrumentality to deindex unrecorded pages, and 1 tract mislaid much than 400 articles that were still online.

Google’s Danny Sullivan said that astatine the time, location was nary measurement to forestall those removals. Although it was a different exploit, the halfway rumor was similar. A removal strategy designed for a circumstantial intent tin unexpectedly go a intends of taking down contented personification wishes to disappear.

The Press Gazette lawsuit is portion of a larger chat astir the institution and its coverage. The study describes a parasite SEO cognition successful which a institution purchases established websites to boost its Google presence. SEJ looked into this believe successful November, during which Google defended its efforts to enforce tract estimation rules arsenic the European Commission began its investigation.

The Scale Is Hard To Measure

It’s rather challenging to find really often mendacious aliases disputed notices are successful. Lumen, which operates arsenic a investigation project, holds tens of millions of takedown notices covering billions of URLs. Researchers person tapped into this assets to uncover organized campaigns of copyright abuse, often aimed astatine estimation management.

Lumen itself points retired that having a announcement successful its archive doesn’t beryllium the petition was valid aliases that a level really acted connected it. The grounds simply shows what was requested, not whether the declare was accurate.

Google says it declines requests it identifies arsenic abusive aliases inaccurate, and Techdirt has described Google arsenic much fierce than astir sites astatine rejecting questionable DMCA notices. In the March case, SEO advisor Glenn Gabe wrote connected X that the title clearing Google’s checks amazed him, calling it a takedown that did not make sense. The June title was still successful effect erstwhile Press Gazette reported it.

Why This Matters

The takedown process mightiness look for illustration a mini step, arsenic the personification filing a announcement doesn’t look galore contiguous real-world consequences. Making a mendacious declare doesn’t costs overmuch either. The personification aliases entity targeted will request to announcement the removal, record a counter-notice, and past spell done the process, which tin consciousness a spot daunting.

The imbalance affects really agelong a page is missing. When Press Gazette’s March article was removed, it was quickly restored wrong astir a time aft they reached retired to Google. However, the June article was still missing erstwhile they published their follow-up. In cases for illustration this, scope tin impact really quickly a removal gets reviewed. The news statement was capable to publically raise the first removal, thing astir sites can’t do.

A page removed owed to a bad title tin stay retired of Google’s results for the long of the counter-notice process, which takes astatine slightest days and often longer. For a page that brings successful leads aliases sales, that spread comes pinch a nonstop cost. The removal besides happens quietly, truthful a tract proprietor whitethorn not recognize a page is gone until postulation drops.

What You Can Do

You tin trim down the clip a takedown goes unnoticed. Google’s removal statement sits astatine the bottommost of the results page for affected queries, truthful searching your ain cardinal headlines and pages tin move 1 up. A abrupt driblet successful impressions aliases clicks for a azygous URL successful Search Console tin beryllium an early emblem worthy checking. The Lumen database lets you hunt for notices that sanction your domain.

If a page is removed and you judge the declare is wrong, Google’s process permits a counter-notice. Filing it quickly matters, because the restoration timepiece starts only erstwhile Google receives it. Google’s DMCA thief pages laic retired the steps and what a counter-notice has to include. The 10- to 14-business-day hold aft a valid counter-notice is statutory.

Holding connected to timestamped copies of your ain activity helps, too. A nationalist archive grounds of a page, pinch its publication date, hands you grounds of original authorship if a later title claims you copied it.

None of this prevents a title from being filed. It narrows the model betwixt removal and response, which is the portion you control.

Looking Ahead

Some of the ineligible reasons down this rumor are beyond Google’s control, fueling a chat astir whether the takedown strategy should beryllium updated.

This statement mightiness proceed for years. The much pressing mobility is really quickly you would announcement if 1 of your pages abruptly disappeared. Watching your ain removals is simply a bladed defense, but for now, it’s the champion action available.