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As the search engine of choice for millions of users, it’s a well-known fact that Google contains a lot of information — but sometimes it can contain too much of our information, like our phone number, email and more.
To remedy this, Google has made it easier for people to get their personal information removed from search results.
In a recent blog post, Google says that its Results About You tool has been has significantly updated to work even better at finding your contact information online and allowing you to request its removal from search results.
In this article, we’ll show you step by step how to request that your personal information be removed from Google in two ways:
Note: Google says its Results About You tool is only available in the U.S. in English for now, but will be rolled out in new languages and locations soon.
Screenshot via myactivity.google.com
There are two ways you can access the Results About You tool from your Google account:
Screenshot via myactivity.google.com
Once you tap the blue “Get Started” button, Google will ask you to add your personal contact information.
Google says it uses the contact information you provide to make sure it matches the information on a result’s web page. “It’s not shared or used to personalize your experience across other Google products,” it says.
On the online form, you’ll need to provide:
At the bottom of the form, you’ll need to click a box that confirms that the information you entered belongs to you. Then click, Continue.
You’ll also have the option to receive notifications either via email or by Google alerts. When I went through the steps, I chose to be notified via email.
Screenshot via myactivity.google.com
From there, Google looks to see if your personal information can be found. “We’ll check for search results that show your info and let you know if anything comes up,” it says on the prompts.
Screenshot via myactivity.google.com
Google says it usually takes a few hours for it to run through the whole process.
Once Google finds information about you, that’s when you can request to remove results that you see on Google Search, by selecting “Remove result” from the menu icon next to any result that includes your contact information.
In my case, it showed that my email address was out there on the web and that “this info might be valuable to the public.”
Screenshot via myactivity.google.com
In addition to contact information, Google also lets you request to remove webpages, articles and images of yourself from their search results. You can do this by way of Google’s content removal process.
According to Google, the first step you should take is to contact the owner of the website where your personal content is found. Then, you can request that the website remove your information. Of course, that’s not always easy (or even possible) to do.
If you’re unsuccessful trying to contact the specific website, you can start Google’s removal process. You’ll need to select whether you want to:
Choose one of the following options that best describes the content you want to be removed:
Google will also ask you whether the information about you online was shared with doxxing intent, which means someone has targeted you for online harassment. You’ll have to click yes or no.
Then you’ll be asked for your country of residence and contact email address.
Note that Google says these steps are only to remove live search results. If the content is a cached page that may no longer exist but is still appearing in Google search results, you’ll need to follow the steps to remove outdated content.
Next, you’ll need to copy and paste the URL(s) of the pages that have the content you want removed. You may have to enter any of the following links:
Google also provides resource articles on how to find the URL of a page or image.
Google also recommends that you take a screenshot of the webpage. Depending on the type of information or imagery you’re asking to be removed, uploading it may be required.
You can add the terms that you used to pull up the search results in question.
As an option, you can also list any additional context that might help your request. After that, hit Submit.
After you’ve completed the process, you’ll get a confirmation email.
Google says it will typically remove personally identifiable information including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, images of handwritten signatures, medical records and confidential login information.
The tech company evaluates each request to remove personal information on a case-by-case basis. After evaluation, Google may:
There’s no hard and fast answer here. For outdated URLs, Google says processing can take a few days, but in general, Google doesn’t give a specific time period for how long the content removal process takes.
When it comes to pictures, here’s what Google says: “We understand that you may want to remove certain images from search results as soon as possible. However, the process of removing images from search results can take some time.”
People have various reasons for wanting their personal information removed from Google.
“Let’s say at one time you were in a relationship, and you and your partner decided it would be cool to take some pictures,” money expert Clark Howard says. “There’s the revenge thing where they post the pictures because you broke up and they’re mad at you and all that. And that can be so embarrassing. And it can cost you a job and reputational harm.”
In other cases, the person may have had a civil or criminal case that was expunged or they were exonerated, and the search results of the incident may be hurting their chances of employment. In other cases, people who have been doxxed may want their personal information erased from Google search results.
No matter your reasons, the good news is that Google has made it easier than ever to have your sensitive information removed from its search results.
Want more ways to protect your privacy? Read our guide on how to delete your Google data.
This post was last modified on August 30, 2023 12:35 pm
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