What is the Lumen database?
Lumen is a public research archive of takedown requests. It's a project of Harvard's Berkman Klein Center, which says it collects and studies content removal requests. If you file a copyright request with Google, it's worth knowing about first.
Where its notices come from
The project began in 2002 and was earlier known as Chilling Effects. The Center says it grows by more than 20,000 notices per week, from companies such as Google. Google's side is plain: it says it shares a copy of qualifying copyright removal requests with Lumen, and when it legally can, it links to the published request in place of the removed result.
What that means for you
- A removed result can leave a pointer. Someone searching can see a line saying a result was removed, with a link to the request. Assume a person who goes looking can read what's published.
- Your name may matter. A notice has to name the rights holder or their agent. If you trade under a stage name and keep your legal name private, plan for this before you sign anything.
- The listed links matter too. A copyright request lists the addresses to remove, so a published request can itself point towards them. That's my reading of how it works, and I can't tell you how a specific entry will look.
I couldn't read Lumen's own pages when I checked them, so I'm only quoting what Google and the Berkman Klein Center say here. For anything about a specific entry or how to correct it, ask Lumen directly.
Other routes
Lumen comes up through Google's copyright route. Google's explicit-image form is a different process, based on being the person shown. It isn't right for all content, as the Google guide explains, and it doesn't replace a notice to the site. A notice sent to a site or host goes to that recipient, though some forward it or publish a copy.
Working with me, you sign a one-page authorization and I file in your name. Ask me before we start and I'll walk you through what each recipient sees. This page goes through the others.
General information, not legal advice. I'm not a lawyer and Abolita is not a law firm. Checked against the linked sources on 6 November 2026.
Quick answers
Does every DMCA notice go to Lumen?
No. Google says it shares qualifying copyright removal requests with Lumen. A notice sent to another site or host goes to that recipient, though some forward notices or publish a copy.
Who runs Lumen?
It's a project of Harvard's Berkman Klein Center, conceived in 2002 and earlier known as Chilling Effects.
Sources
- Berkman Klein Center: Lumen
- Google: how copyright removals and Lumen work
- Google: remove explicit or intimate personal images
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