Google will now notify users if it finds personal data about them in Search, such as phone numbers, home addresses, or emails, so that they can have it removed.
We have all experienced a time when we have found personal information about ourselves online that we would prefer not to be displayed on Google Search. While Google has previously offered a tool that allows users to request the removal of search results, the search giant is now making it even easier by launching a new dashboard. Additionally, Google is also revising some of its policies regarding the ranking of personal explicit content on Search.
Google will now notify users if it finds personal data about them in Search, such as phone numbers, home addresses, or emails, so that they can have it removed. This builds on the ‘Results about you’ tool, which makes it easy for users to request the removal of search results that contain their personal data.
To make this easier for users, Google is launching a new dashboard that will inform them if their contact information or other data is appearing in Google Search results.
However, the new dashboard will only be available in the U.S. in English in the beginning, but Google says that it is working to bring support for other languages and regions soon.
Easy Removal of Personal Explicit Imagery
Google is also doubling down on its commitment to protect users from encountering explicit content and non-consensual imagery by enabling people to remove “any of their personal, explicit images that they no longer wish to be visible in Search.”
“For example, if you created and uploaded explicit content to a website, then deleted it, you can request its removal from Search if it’s being published elsewhere without approval. This policy doesn’t apply to content you are currently commercializing,” Google said.
To request that Google remove certain search results, users can go to this link and provide their information.
Google points out that removing personal explicit images from Google Search will not remove them from the source, such as a website, but they will no longer appear in Google Search results.