Google Is Rolling Out Two New Ways to Remove Your Private Data From Search Results.
On Tuesday morning, Google announced two new ways to remove sensitive information from the internet—or at least remove it from Google search. The first allows users to request the removal of sensitive personal information from search, while the second provides new tools for requesting similar removal of explicit images obtained without the user’s consent.
Google’s “Search Results About You” tool is getting an update.
First, Google is updating its existing ” Search Results About You ” tool, which helps users search for personal information online. Until now, this tool could already find information such as your name, phone number, email address, and home address. After the update, you can now find and request the removal of search results containing sensitive information, including your driver’s license, passport, or Social Security number.
To launch this tool, click here . If you’ve never used “Results About You” before, you’ll need to set it up to tell Google what to search for. After that, you’ll be able to add government-issued identification numbers, such as driver’s licenses, passports, and Social Security numbers. If Google finds a match, the company will notify you. You can receive notifications from the Google app on your smartphone that will take you to a summary of the data found and its location. From there, you can choose to “Request Removal” or “Mark as Reviewed.”
Unfortunately, this tool won’t remove the data from the websites it’s hosted on, but it will eventually remove the search results, dramatically reducing the chances of someone finding your data on their own.
Google says these changes will roll out in the US in the “coming days” and that the company is working to roll them out to other countries in the future.
An easier way for Google to remove explicit images from search results.
In addition to these changes, Google is rolling out a simpler tool for users to request the removal of sexually explicit images obtained without the recipient’s consent from search results. If you find such an image in search results, you can click the three dots next to it, select “remove result,” and then “the image shows a sexually explicit photo of me.” You’ll also be able to indicate whether the photo is genuine or artificially created, and you can report multiple images at once if necessary. All your requests will appear in the “Results About You” section so you can track their progress.
This tool allows you to enable an option that will filter results with more explicit content in other search queries. Google also states that after submitting a query, it will provide links to “emotional and legal support.”