How can I get an old property brochure removed from Google?
Asked by
MellowCedar47
We bought our house about a year ago, but searching for the address still brings up an online brochure showing the property's floor plans, photos, and sale price. The file appears to be hosted on Amazon Web Services, although we don't know who uploaded it. We contacted the real estate agent, but they said it wasn't their file and couldn't help. What's the best way to identify the owner and have the brochure removed, or at least stop it from appearing in search results?
Answers
Whether you can force removal depends on your local privacy and property laws. Publicly available sale details may be treated differently from private photos or floor plans. If you believe the file unlawfully exposes personal information, getting advice from a local solicitor or lawyer would be more effective than contacting the hosting provider directly.
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First confirm that it really is hosted by that provider. If the URL contains a storage address, the bucket or account name may reveal which company or vendor uploaded it, but the host is unlikely to tell you who the customer is. Check the brochure itself for an agency name, photographer, designer, or other contact information.
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The hosting provider generally won’t remove or alter a customer’s file just because someone asks. Your best option is to identify whoever owns or manages the file—possibly the agency, a marketing vendor, or the person who created the brochure—and request removal directly. Look for contact details in the document or on the page where it appears.
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You could also submit a removal request to the search engine. That may hide the result from searches for your address, although it won’t delete the original file from the internet. If the brochure contains personal information or violates a specific privacy or legal rule, mention that in the request.
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Answers are reviewed before publication.
BrightOtter62: The provider might be able to identify the account internally, but they normally won’t disclose customer information to you.