Google has introduced expanded controls enabling users to manage search results related to their personal data. Beyond email addresses and phone numbers, it’s now possible to locate and remove search results featuring details such as driver’s licenses, passports, or social security numbers. Removal can be executed directly within the “Results about you” section on Google’s website. Furthermore, the process for erasing explicit imagery from image search results has been streamlined.
How the removal of personal data functions:
To remove Google search results containing information like driver’s licenses, passports, or insurance numbers, a user must first register this particular data within the service’s settings. If utilizing this feature for the first time, the user should select “Get started” and supply the contact details they wish to monitor.
Subsequently, Google will scan search results and send a notification via email or the Google app, indicating where this specific information surfaces.
Following notification, users can then proceed to delete this material directly from the search results.
It is important to note that eliminating information from Google search results does not constitute its complete erasure from the entire internet. Individuals searching for someone’s private details may still locate it using alternative means, such as a different search engine.
These new functionalities will initially roll out in the United States.
Removing explicit images from Google Search:
The company is also making it easier to eliminate explicit images from search results (particularly those posted without the user’s consent).
Users can now click the three-dot menu next to an image in the results, select “Remove result,” and then choose the option indicating “My explicit image is shown.” Additionally, requests to remove multiple images from search results can now be submitted via a single, consolidated form.
This new system empowers users to activate safeguards designed to filter out any further results containing explicit content (which might appear during related searches).
Moreover, Google provides a centralized location for users to track the status of all their removal requests via a dedicated user hub.
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