You can now erase your personal digital footprints because Google has you covered!
Users can now protect themselves from doxing and hacking as Google now lets users remove their personal contact information or any personal data from Google Search results.
According to a Google blog, Google Search has put a set of policies that allow people to request the removal of certain content from Search, with a focus on highly personal content that, if public, can cause direct harm to people.
Michelle Chang pointed out in the blog that since the "internet is always evolving, Google's policies and protections need to evolve, too."
What Kind of Information May Google Remove?
According to Google, the company is expanding the types of personal information that it will remove from search results to cover things like your physical address, phone number, and passwords.
The Verge reported that previously, the feature mostly covered information that would let someone steal your identity or money.
With the new Google policies, you can ask the site to stop showing certain URLs that point to info that could lead someone to your house or give them access to your accounts.
Google now lets you remove personal contact info from Search results such as your email, address, and phone number if you can prove "explicit or implicit threats" based on this information being public.
According to Android Central, publicly posted log-in credentials are now also removable as well as search results for SSNs, financial information, and photos of documents.
As per an Android Central report, Google also has a fairly rigid standard for what private citizens could object to in its Search results such as credit card numbers, bank account IDs, or photos of your handwritten signatures.
A linked Google Support page said that Google will only remove contact information that has "explicit or implicit threats" or "explicit or implicit calls to action for others to harm or harass."
Furthermore, Google will also remove things like "non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images," pornographic deepfakes or Photoshops featuring your likeness, or links to sites with "exploitative removal practices," as per The Verge report.
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How Will Google Manage Removal Requests?
According to Chang, it won't remove publicly available or newsworthy information, particularly anything available from government sites or "official sources."
Chang added that they would also "evaluate if the content appears as part of the public record on the sites of government or official sources." In such cases, Google won't make removals.
The blog noted, however, that removing content from Google Search won't remove it from the internet.
In addition to the update, Google also recently rolled out a new policy to enable people under the age of 18 (or their parent or guardian) to request the removal of their images from Google Search results, the blog stated.
Chang pointed out that Google is "always looking for new ways to ensure our policies and built-in safeguards reflect peoples' evolving needs and are easy to use."
"We believe these updates are an important step to deliver on that goal and give people the tools they need to protect their safety and privacy online," Chang ended the blog.
Related Article: Google Embraces Woke Culture: You Will Now Be Flagged for Using Politically Incorrect Words While Searching
