You Can Now Ask Google to Remove Personal Info From Search Results

Users can now request that Google remove more personally identifiable information from search results following a recent update.

People can already request that Google remove results containing personal information that could lead to identity theft or fraud, such as credit card and bank account details. Your contact information has been added to the list, including your email address, phone number, and physical address.

Google will now remove search results that contain potentially hackable information, such as login IDs and passwords. This information isn’t instantly erased. Individuals must submit a request that includes a list of URLs that lead to sensitive information as well as search pages that reveal such connections. After that, Google will assess if removing them restricts access to information already in the public domain or whether they are part of anything “broadly helpful,” such as a news story.

“We will not make removals in such circumstances,” Chang stated.

Google may remove links from all search results or just those that mention your name, depending on the content and context. Chang points out that just because a corporation agrees to remove your information from search results does not mean it will be erased from the internet. Someone could still find your information by visiting the website directly.

Following a policy change in October 2021, which allowed kids — or their parents — to request that their images be removed from Google Search results, the new rules were released.