In the Internet age, trying to quash data is a mook's game, as Max Mosley is discovering (and a Barbra Streisand and countless politicians and celebrities have discovered). How do you counter vile calumnies?
1. Use libel and slander laws to deal with the person originating the information, if identifiable. Get the record of that (esp. successes) on the Internet, too.
2. Make your denials as believable, calm, and lucid as possible. Make sure those get into the Google searches.
3. Build a good reputation beforehand. Continue building a good reputation after. Some people will, in fact, believe any damn-fool thing a tabloid or gossip-monger whispers (and will no matter what you do). You can't do anything about that. But for most folks, these sorts of things only gain traction if there's aspects of them that are believable. Make it unbelievable.
4. Avoid doing things that you don't want people to find out about. In the world of celebrity, they probably will. #ddtb
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Why Suing Google to Remove Results About Your Alleged Orgy Will Never Work
I had never heard of Max Mosley until yesterday, when I read he was suing Google in Europe to block all search results regarding his alleged participation in some sort of Nazi sex orgy. Ironically, wh…