Military.com recognizes that news coverage of alleged criminal activity and related investigations, removal from command and other events that reflect negatively on an individual can appear indefinitely in internet search results.
We believe that serving the public interest as a news source also means providing a way for individuals to request that we “de-index” stories, a coding process that keeps search engines from including them in queries. Please note: the impact of de-indexing on search results is not immediate.
We give careful consideration to requests and evaluate them on a case-by-case basis against a number of considerations to determine whether the concerns of the individual outweigh the public interest in terms of keeping the relevant story searchable. These considerations include but are not limited to the following:
- The rank and responsibility of the individual at the time of the news story
- Passage of time since the coverage and/or incident occurred
- Severity of any crime
- Public interest
- Cultural relevance
- Ongoing news value
Each request will be considered by a panel of Military.com editors and executives. Decisions made by this panel are final for one year, at which time a request may be resubmitted and reconsidered. Military.com does not, however, control stories, screenshots or excerpts of its content posted to other websites.
Please fill out the form below to have your request reviewed. Generally, you should expect to hear back within one week. If you have questions about the status of your request, please email customersupport@military.com.