Google results shake-up: New safety and privacy changes you need to know
Your personal details could be a click away. Google’s updated privacy tool adds a layer of protection that more people should be using.
There is a free automated tool that allows people to request the removal of their personal information from Google search results. Known as Google’s Results About You, the service is designed to make sensitive details harder to find online. Despite the potential safety benefits, many people are not using it.
Data brokers routinely collect and sell personal details such as names, home addresses and phone numbers. This information can be purchased cheaply by a wide range of individuals, from telemarketers to identity thieves. When such details appear in search results, they can increase the risk of harassment, fraud and other harm.
Google continuously scrapes the internet to power its search engine, which can include sensitive information gathered from data brokers, BBC reports.
Results About You allows individuals to request that certain links containing their personal information be removed from search results. The company has recently updated the tool to make it more effective and user-friendly.
What does the tool actually do?
Once set up, Results About You monitors for personal details such as your name, email address, phone number or home address. When Google detects this information in search results, it sends an email notification. Users can then review the listed websites and request removal with a single click.
In the United States, the tool can also flag highly sensitive identifiers such as Social Security numbers, passport details and driving licence numbers. A Google account is required to use the automated monitoring service. However, there is also a manual removal process available to anyone who identifies problematic content in search results, even without an account.
What is the catch (if any)?
Results About You does not erase personal information from the original website. It removes the link from Google Search, which limits visibility but does not eliminate the source material. Criminals who trade stolen data from hacks and breaches operate outside this system, and Google cannot intervene in those cases.
The tool creates obstacles rather than guaranteeing total privacy. Dedicated individuals may still locate information through other means. However, removing the most visible search results significantly reduces exposure and lowers the risk of being an easy target.
Are there privacy concerns about using it?
To activate monitoring, users must provide their sensitive information to Google so it knows what to track. Some may question sharing such data with a company that has faced privacy controversies. A Google spokesperson told the BBC that information submitted to Results About You is not used for other purposes and that the service relies on rigorous security and encryption protocols.
How can you start using results about you?
Users can access the Results About You hub and complete a form specifying the information they want monitored. Problematic search results can also be flagged directly by opening the three-dot menu next to a link and selecting the removal option.
Google may remove results relating to family members in certain circumstances. However, it does not remove content from government or news websites.
How widely is the tool being used
Google states that more than 10 million people have used Results About You since its launch in 2022. While that figure is significant, it represents only a small proportion of the reported 1.8 billion Google accounts worldwide.
Although it does not offer complete erasure of personal data from the internet, Results About You provides a straightforward way to reduce the visibility of sensitive information in search results and add a practical layer of online protection.
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