Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove or otherwise modify content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove or otherwise modify content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government Removal Requests

Like other technology and communications companies, Yahoo receives requests from governments around the world to either remove content from our services based on allegations that it violates local laws, or to review content to determine if it should be removed for inconsistency with a product’s Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service. Whatever the allegation or assertion, we carefully review each request and respond in accordance with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Government removal requests by country

For each country listed below, we report the number of Government Removal Requests received during the specified reporting period, the number of items specified in the requests, and the percentage of requests in response to which some content was removed. While we endeavor to make this data as complete as possible, we only include in our numbers requests that we identify as being from a government agency. If a government agency used a Report Abuse link, for example, we wouldn’t be able to identify the party making the request to remove content and would not include that request in our statistics. We continue to work to track these requests.

Illustrative examples

France - We received a request from a French law enforcement authority to remove a question and a picture posted on Yahoo Answers on the basis that the post contained a caricature of the victims of a violent attack and violated French law against dissemination of images of an offence of willful harm. After reviewing the contested content, we removed the content because it violated Yahoo’s Community Guidelines.

Italy - We received a request from an Italian law enforcement agency attaching an Italian court order instructing Yahoo to de-index three URLs on the basis that the subjects behind the relevant websites were fraudulently posing as representatives of an insurance company, wrongfully using the trademark of a legitimate insurance company, and selling fake insurance policies. After reviewing the request, the URLs were submitted to Bing, which provides Yahoo search results, for de-indexing.

India - We received an order from an Indian government agency, following the directives of an Indian court requesting that all defamatory and abusive content posted on social media platforms regarding said court and its judges be removed. We asserted a defense that the order was not applicable to our services as it was directed towards social media platforms and asserted that Yahoo India should be excused from being one of the respondents to this order.

Illustrative examples

France - We received a request from a French law enforcement authority to remove a comment visible at a Yahoo France News article on the basis that the comment violated French law against incitement to hatred or violence because of origin, ethnicity, nation, race or religion. After reviewing the contested content, we removed the comment because it violated Verizon media’s Community Guidelines.

Italy - We received a request from an Italian law enforcement agency attaching an Italian court order requiring Yahoo to de-index an URL on the basis that the relevant website was used to perpetrate fraud. After reviewing the request, the URL was submitted to Bing, which provides Yahoo search results, for de-indexing.

Mexico - We received a request from a Mexican law enforcement authority requesting removal of an article on Yahoo News Español related to a defamation claim. The request was rejected because it was not properly served.

Singapore - We received an order from Singapore authorities pursuant to the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) 2019 to issue a correction notice on a Facebook post made by Yahoo Singapore sharing a news article reporting on allegedly unlawful execution methods in Singapore. Yahoo Singapore complied with the legal demand and added our own statement under the correction notice which stated “Yahoo Singapore is legally required to publish the above statement, as per the order of the Singapore Government. As a trusted platform and media brand, we reiterate our commitment to providing balanced, credible news coverage and reporting without bias.”

Illustrative examples

We received a request from a Malaysian organization reporting two Tumblr* blogs for privacy violations and harassment. After reviewing the contents of the blogs, we decided to terminate both blogs for violating Tumblr's Community Guidelines.

We received a request from a French law enforcement authority to remove a comment visible at a Yahoo France News URL on the basis that the comment violated French law against public insult of a group of people because of race, religion, or origin. After reviewing the content, we removed the comment because it violated Yahoo’s Community Guidelines.

We received a request from a Danish government authority requesting de-indexing of a URL on Yahoo Search on the basis that the page contained non-consensual distribution or disclosure of nude or sexual content. After reviewing the request, we determined that the URL was no longer appearing in Yahoo Search results (which are provided by Bing), and no further action was taken.

 

*Tumblr was sold to Automattic in the late summer of 2019. Government requests received by Yahoo related to Tumblr are reflected in this Transparency Report since Tumblr was still owned by Yahoo during part of the reporting period which covers the second half of 2019.

Illustrative examples

France - We received a request from a French law enforcement authority to remove a specific comment on a Yahoo News story on the basis that the comment contained content which violated French law against defaming an individual due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.  After reviewing the content, we removed the comment because it violated Yahoo’s Community Guidelines.

India - We received a request from an Indian law enforcement authority asking to remove content on a Yahoo Answers post relating to prostitution. The request asserted that the post contained the personal information and was defaming the character of the person.  After reviewing the request, we removed the Yahoo Answers post for violating Yahoo’s Community Guidelines.

France - We received a request from a French law enforcement authority to remove content visible at a Yahoo News URL on the basis that the page contained content which violated French law against inciting hatred or violence because of origin, ethnicity, nation, race, or religion.  After reviewing the request, we rejected the request because it failed to specify the content or comment which was the basis of the request.

Russia - We received a request from a Russian government authority to remove a Tumblr blog post on the basis that the post contained information prohibited from public distribution in the Russian Federation. We reviewed the post content, which appeared to contain information regarding historical events, and did not take any action because the post did not violate Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

Germany - We received a request from a German government authority to remove three posts on two different Tumblr blogs because the posts contained images depicting violence.  After reviewing the contents of the posts, we removed the posts and terminated one of the blogs for violating Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

Illustrative examples

Russia - We received a request from a Russian government authority to remove a specific Yahoo Answers page on the basis that the page contained information on the manufacture, supply, sale, and consumption of drugs and psychotropic substances. After reviewing the content, we removed the page because it violated Yahoo’s Community Guidelines.

France - We received a request from a French law enforcement authority to remove a specific Yahoo Answers page on the basis that the page contained content which violated French law against provoking discrimination on the grounds of origin, ethnicity nation, race, or religion. After reviewing the content, we removed the page because it violated Yahoo’s Community Guidelines.

Canada - We received a request from a Canadian law enforcement authority to take action against a Tumblr blog for engaging in harassing behavior. After reviewing the content of the blog, we terminated the blog for violating Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

Russia - We received a request from a Russian government authority to remove a specific Tumblr blog post because the content contained information prohibited from public distribution in the Russian Federation. We reviewed the content, which depicted an individual using a bong. We did not remove the image because the content did not violate Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

Singapore - We received a request from a law enforcement authority in Singapore to remove a specific Tumblr blog post because the post contained an image of an individual which had been posted without consent and offensive comments had been made with respect to the image. After reviewing the content of the post, we removed the content for violating Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

Illustrative examples

India - We received a request from an Indian law enforcement authority to remove two links from Yahoo Search results on the basis that the links contained false and defamatory information about a police officer. We did not remove the links because they had already been deactivated and the content was no longer available.

Russia - We received a request from a Russian government authority to remove an image from Flickr* on the basis that the image sought to appeal to mass riots and extremist activities. After reviewing the content, we removed the image because it violated Flickr’s Community Guidelines.

Korea - We received a request from the Korean Communications Standards Commission to remove more than 20,000 images on Tumblr based on privacy violations. We did not remove the images because there was insufficient information upon which to determine whether violations of Tumblr’s Community Guidelines had occurred.

Korea - We received a request from the Korean Communications Standards Commission to remove a Tumblr blog associated with hacking and other criminal activity. After reviewing the content, the account was terminated for violating Tumblr's Community Guidelines.

*Flickr was sold to SmugMug in the summer of 2018. Government requests received by Yahoo related to Flickr are reflected in this Transparency Report since Flickr was still owned by Yahoo during this reporting period which covers the first half of 2018.

Illustrative examples

India - We received a request from an Indian law enforcement authority to remove video content from Yahoo Search results on the basis that the video content had been uploaded without the consent of the owner. We did not remove the content because it was not hosted on our network.

United Kingdom - We received a request from a UK law enforcement authority to remove a Tumblr blog on the basis that it was created to impersonate. We reviewed the content and removed it after determining that it violated Tumblr’s Community Guidelines.

Russia - We received a request from a Russian government authority to remove an image from Flickr* on the basis that it depicted pornographic material. We did not remove the image because it did not violate Flickr’s Community Guidelines.

Russia - We received a request from a Russian government authority to remove an image from Flickr* on the basis that the material described methods for developing, manufacturing, and consuming drugs. After reviewing the content, we removed the image because it violated Flickr’s Community Guidelines.

*In April 2018, we announced that SmugMug agreed to acquire Flickr. Government requests received by Yahoo related to Flickr are reflected in this Transparency Report since Flickr was owned by Yahoo during this reporting period which covers the second half of 2017.

Illustrative examples

India - We received a request from an Indian government agency to remove images on the basis that they were posted without the consent of the individual depicted in the images. We reviewed the request and determined that no action was needed because the account owner had deleted the images.

Mauritius - We received a request from a Mauritian government agency to remove video content on the basis that it was defamatory to a government official’s family. We rejected the request because we determined that the content was not hosted on our network.

Russia - We received a request to remove content from Tumblr on the basis that the material constituted extremist activity. After reviewing the content and determining that it did not violate Tumblr’s Community Guidelines, we rejected the request.

Russia - We received a request to remove a Flickr image on the basis that the image depicted pornographic material. We did not remove the image because it did not violate Flickr’s Community Guidelines, but we moderated the account’s safety setting to “restricted” consistent with the Flickr Community Guidelines.

United States - We received a request to disable a Flickr account and Flickr group on the basis that they were being used to impersonate and harass. We deactivated the Flickr account after determining that it violated Flickr’s Community Guidelines.