PRESS STATEMENT 15/12/2025

COLLECTIVE INJUNCTIVE ACTION AGAINST GOOGLE: THE MILAN COURT SETS THE PROCEDURAL TIMETABLE

Milan, 15 December 2025 – On Thursday, 11 December, a hearing was held before the Court of Milan in relation to the collective injunctive action against Google, brought by a group of citizens represented by the law firms LEXIA and ORALEX, with the support of the association Algopolio, concerning the handling of de-indexing requests and the protection of the right to be forgotten.

During the hearing, the Court set out a series of procedural steps that will govern the continuation of the proceedings over the coming weeks. In particular:

• 23 January 2026: deadline for the claimants to file concise written observations in reply to the defence briefs submitted by Google upon entering its appearance;

• 6 February 2026: deadline for Google to file concise written observations in response to the claimants’ reply;

• 26 February 2026, 9:30 a.m.: the next chamber hearing is scheduled, during which the substantive discussion of the injunctive action will take place.

The February hearing will therefore mark the first substantive confrontation on the core issues raised by the claimants, who challenge Google’s use of standardised and non-personalised procedures in the processing of removal and de-indexing requests, which are alleged to be incompatible with the European legal framework on the protection of personal data.

Professor Vincenzo Morabito, President of Algopolio, stated:

“This action does not concern only the individual claimants, but affects the fundamental rights of every Italian and European citizen. For too long, the imbalance of power between global platforms and individuals has made it difficult to obtain effective protection. This action seeks to demonstrate that fundamental rights, including the rights to privacy and data protection, cannot be curtailed by automatisms or corporate choices. It is a step towards restoring control over personal information to citizens and ensuring that technology serves people, not the other way around.”

Further updates will be provided as the proceedings progress.

ALGOPOLIO is an independent association bringing together lawyers, technologists, artists and ordinary citizens around a simple yet radical idea: the power of algorithms must never outweigh human dignity. We advocate for a digital environment in which people are not reduced to data points to be profiled, but recognised as individuals to be protected; where automated decision-making is transparent; and where reputation, data and freedom are not at the mercy of a handful of global actors.