Old articles in press archives
A report from years ago stays findable by name in a publisher’s online archive. Depending on the facts, publisher outreach, a delisting request or suppression may move it.
Online reputation management in Germany
German law takes personal honor seriously, and EU rules give you formal ways to report content and ask search engines to delist it. We use them, together with suppression, to remove what can come down and rebuild what people find when they search your name.
Get a free assessmentWhy German reputation work needs precision.
In Germany, an online insult or a false factual claim can be a criminal offense as well as a civil wrong, and personality rights can support claims to have content removed. At the same time, the Federal Constitutional Court requires courts to weigh personal honor against freedom of expression in context, so sharp criticism and opinion are often protected.
That balance shapes every case. A degrading factual claim that cannot be proved true is very different from a harsh but honest review, and an old article in an online press archive is handled differently from a search result. We look at each result, pick the route with real grounds and suppress what is lawful.
Germany is one of our active service areas. We work with companies, executives, professionals and public figures who need page one to reflect who they are.
- Delisting requests under the GDPR where the grounds exist
- Removal at the source through platform and legal channels
- Suppression for lawful content that cannot come down
- Every client signs an NDA, and so do we
[Your Name, Your Company]
AI Overview
Several sources raise concerns about [Your Name], citing complaints1 and disputed claims2.
!forum, 2024
!news aggregator
news-aggregator.com
Allegations and ongoing complaints surface online
old-forum.com
Is this company a scam? What people are saying
★★☆☆☆
1.8 from 240 reviews
The situations clients in Germany bring to us.
These are the problems that tend to shape a search result for a person or a company in Germany.
Reporting that gets the facts wrong
When a journalistic outlet publishes a factual claim about you, German press and media law can give you a right of reply. We plan it together with the search side, so the correction is what ranks.
Fake reviews and employer reviews
Fake customer reviews and unfair employer reviews can set the score clients and candidates see first. We report reviews that break the rules, including on Glassdoor.
Insults and false claims on social media
Posts that insult you or spread false claims can rank for your name and get shared. We use the platform’s reporting channels and the notice process under EU law and point you to legal routes where they fit.
Impersonation accounts
Fake profiles that use your name or photos to post in your name. We take down impersonation accounts through the platform’s own channels.
AI summaries repeating old claims
Google AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT can repeat an outdated story as current fact. We work on the sources they rely on, so the answer follows.
Platforms where we protect reputations
The German and EU legal framework behind online reputation.
Germany combines its own criminal, civil and media law with EU rules that apply in every member state. This is general information, not legal advice.
Honor is protected by criminal and civil law
The Criminal Code punishes insult (§ 185), degrading factual claims that cannot be proved true (§ 186) and knowingly false claims (§ 187), with higher penalties when spread publicly or online. These offenses are usually prosecuted only on request, filed within three months. Civil claims to stop a violation, remove content or get damages rest on the Civil Code and generally fall under a three-year limitation period. [1] [2]
A right of reply to journalistic content
Under § 20 of the Interstate Media Treaty, journalistic online services must publish a reply to a factual claim free of charge. The reply must be limited to facts, signed and reach the provider in writing promptly, at the latest six weeks after the content was last online and within three months of first publication. [3]
Delisting under the GDPR
The Court of Justice held in Google Spain (C-131/12) that a search engine can be obliged to remove links from the results for a person’s name. Under Articles 17 and 21 of the GDPR, people can ask search engines to delist results about them, subject to exceptions such as freedom of expression and information. The Federal Constitutional Court treats claims against search engines as a balance of rights under EU law, and claims against online press archives under German personality rights. [4] [5] [6] [10]
The Digital Services Act took over the NetzDG’s complaint rules
Since 17 February 2024, the EU Digital Services Act has required hosting services to offer an electronic mechanism to report specific content as illegal and to decide in a timely, diligent and objective way. In May 2024, the reporting and complaint-handling duties of Germany’s Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) were removed, and the Bundesnetzagentur became the main competent authority for the Digital Services Act in Germany. [7] [8] [9]
Services for clients in Germany.
Each engagement combines the services the case needs: removal and delisting where there are grounds, suppression where there are not.
Service
Online reputation management
Ongoing work to reduce negative visibility and control how you appear across search engines and AI.
Service
Content removal
Defamatory posts, fake reviews and harmful content taken down at the source through platform and legal channels.
Service
Negative content suppression
Critical articles and threads pushed off page one by ranking accurate, authoritative content in their place.
Service
Glassdoor review removal
Unfair, fake or policy-breaking employer reviews taken down at the source. You pay only once they are removed.
Service
Reputation crisis management
When a story or an attack is spreading, we step in fast to protect, stabilize and rebuild what people find.
What a recovered page one looks like.
The same search for your name or business before and after we act on what ranks in Germany.
Before
Your official content: not ranking
[Your Name, Your Company]
AI Overview
Coverage of [Your Name] is dominated by complaints and a disputed story.
news-aggregator.com
Allegations and ongoing complaints
old-forum.com
Is this company a scam? Honest take
★★☆☆☆
1.8 from 240 reviews
After
Your official content: ranking #1
[Your Name, Your Company]
AI Overview
[Your Name] is described accurately, with verified sources and recent positive coverage leading the result.
yourdomain.com
Official statement and verified company profile
businessinsider.com
Recent coverage and industry commentary
★★★★★
4.7 from 240 reviews
Assess
Map the damage
Stabilize
Stop the spread
Suppress
Bury the damage
Monitor
Hold the result
How we work with clients in Germany.
A clear set of stages, fully transparent and confidential.
- 01
Confidential assessment
Send us what ranks for your name. We map page one, check each result against the delisting, reply and platform routes and answer within one business day.
- 02
Written plan
You get a written audit within two business days: what can be delisted or removed, through which route and what needs suppression instead.
- 03
Removal and delisting
We file the requests that have real grounds: GDPR requests to search engines and publishers, platform notices and legal channels where they fit. In parallel, we build accurate content to outrank what stays.
- 04
Monitoring
We track page one every week and react the moment a result moves, so the gains hold.
Real cases and guides.
Published with our clients’ consent, plus the legal background we work from.
Law guide
Defamation and online harassment laws in Germany
Insult offenses, civil claims, the right of reply, stalking and doxxing rules and the GDPR, with links to the legislation.
Guide
Right to erasure vs right to be forgotten
How the two EU rights differ, their practical uses and when each one fits best.
Guide
How to remove news articles from Google
The options available when a news article ranks on Google and puts your reputation at risk.
Case study
Nathan Nazareth: suppressing negative search results
Critical articles and Reddit threads pushed off page one and replaced with accurate, authoritative results.
Questions about reputation management in Germany.
Cannot find what you are looking for? Send us your question and we answer within one business day.
Send your questionHow much does online reputation management cost in Germany?
It depends on what ranks, how many results are involved and which routes apply. For content removal, you are billed only when the URL is verified offline. For ongoing reputation management, the first month is contingent on the strategy we deliver in week one: if you do not see the path forward, you do not pay.
Can I have a search result about me delisted in Germany?
In some cases. Under the GDPR you can ask a search engine to delist results for your name, and the request is weighed against freedom of expression and the public’s interest in the information. Your role in public life and the age of the information matter.
Can I report an insulting post to the police?
Insult and defamation can be criminal offenses in Germany, and they are usually prosecuted only if you file a request within three months of learning of the offense and the offender’s identity. A criminal case does not by itself take the post down, so we work on platform removal in parallel.
What happened to the NetzDG?
Its complaint-handling duties for social networks were removed in May 2024, when Germany implemented the EU Digital Services Act. Reports of illegal content now go through the notice mechanisms that the Digital Services Act requires hosting services to offer.
How long does it take to see results?
It depends on the route. Search engines and platforms decide on requests at their own pace, and suppression builds over time: many results move within a few months, while deeply entrenched content takes longer. Your written plan sets out realistic timelines before any work begins.
Is the work confidential?
Yes. Every client signs an NDA, and so do we. Case studies are published only with the client’s consent and permission.
Take back control of what people find when they search for you.
Tell us what ranks for your name and we review it for free: what can be removed or delisted, what we suppress and how we rebuild page one. We answer within one business day.
Sources
- German Criminal Code (StGB) §§ 77b, 185-187 and 194, official English translation
- German Civil Code (BGB) §§ 195, 199, 823 and 1004, official English translation
- Interstate Media Treaty (Medienstaatsvertrag) § 20
- Court of Justice of the European Union, Press Release No 70/14, Judgment in Case C-131/12 Google Spain (13 May 2014)
- European Data Protection Board, Guidelines 5/2019 on the right to be forgotten in search engine cases under the GDPR
- Federal Constitutional Court, Press Release No. 84/2019 (Right to be forgotten II, 1 BvR 276/17)
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act), Articles 16 and 93 (Spanish text, Official Journal of the EU via BOE)
- Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG), consolidated text, §§ 2 to 3f repealed by Art. 29 of the Act of 6 May 2024 (BGBl. 2024 I Nr. 149)
- Digital Services Law (Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, DDG) § 12
- Federal Constitutional Court, Press Release No. 83/2019 (Right to be forgotten I, 1 BvR 16/13)
Last reviewed 2026-11-02. This page is general information, not legal advice.