The UK Online Safety Act aims to keep everyone in the UK safe online.
Google is committed to following the rules of the UK Online Safety Act. We're working hard to make sure our services are safe and secure.
How we Protect Users
At Google, we aim to balance delivering information with protecting users and society. We take this responsibility seriously.
Our Safety Centre outlines our approach to protecting you from illegal and harmful content.
We rely on various measures to prevent, detect, and respond to abuse, including illegal content such as child sexual abuse and exploitation and terrorism content. Where we learn about the presence of violative content, we deal with it swiftly by taking appropriate content moderation or enforcement actions.
Visit the Google Transparency Center, the Google Help Center and our product policies to learn more about our efforts to protect users from violative content. You can also learn more about our approach to fighting child sexual abuse online across Google on our Protecting Children page and YouTube’s policies and enforcement approach for child safety and violent extremism in its Transparency Report.
How we use proactive technology to protect users
Our Safety Centre explains our approach to using proactive technology to prevent, detect and respond to violative content.
Visit the Google Transparency Center or the Google Help Center to learn more about how we use proactive technology on our products. You can also learn about the proactive technologies we use to fight child sexual abuse online on our Protecting Children page.
How to Report Harmful ContentIf you see content on Google services that you think is illegal, harmful or violates our policies, please tell us! Here’s how:
To learn more about Google’s rules and how to report content under our product policies, check out:
When you submit a request through one of our legal webforms to remove content that you believe is illegal, harmful or violates our policies, the request is routed to the team best positioned to help. Occasionally we might ask you for some more details.
Once we have made a decision on the request, we will inform you of the outcome which may include taking the action requested, denying your request or taking some additional action that we deem appropriate. In limited circumstances, we may make a user aware that a legal complaint has been made against their content.In the case of a request by the government or a court may include the name of the complainant. We typically make a decision within 10 business days, though some more complex cases may take longer.
If you find illegal or harmful content on a non-Google service you should contact the content provider directly. To report content on an App downloaded from Google Play you may also contact the app provider.
Appeal a decision
If your content or account has been restricted or removed, you may be able to appeal that decision.
Visit the Google Transparency Center or the Google Legal Help Center to learn more about Google policies and how to appeal a decision.Tools & Tips for Online Safety
Google offers many helpful resources to stay safe online. Here are some places to visit:
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Google Safety Center: Learn the basics of staying safe online.
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Google Families: Get tools and advice to help families navigate the internet safely, particularly children and young adults.
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YouTube Privacy and Safety Center: Get specific advice for protecting yourself on YouTube.
If you or someone you know has experienced serious harm online, there is support available to help, through organisations and resources recommended by Ofcom.
Google’s compliance with the Online Safety ActGoogle is subject to certain obligations under the UK Online Safety Act.
Google takes its obligations to comply with the Online Safety Act seriously. If you believe Google isn't following the rules of the UK Online Safety Act or has used proactive technology other than in accordance with our terms of service, you can report this. Let us know through this webform how we can do better UK Online Safety Act Form
We will review your report and typically make a decision within ten business days, though some more complex cases may take longer. We may also reach out for more information from you.