Are you tired of your personal information being available on search engines? Let’s be honest. Who isn’t? Well, now Google is updating its privacy tool to make it more powerful and easier than ever to remove your personal information from their search engine.  

Google's 'Results about You' tool was rolled out last year. Google says it's been working hard to make things better since it first launched its software.  

It launched with the intention of allowing people to request the removal of personal information that pops up during Google searches. Personal information can include a phone number, email address, physical address or even unwanted images.   

Now, it is not possible to block your name on Google, or any other search engine such as Bing or Yahoo. However, you can request the removal of Google search results that divulge your personal information. 

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Easily remove your personal information from Google  

The biggest change is that now you can find your information on Google without going through the hassle of searching for it yourself.  

You simply enter your information, and the dashboard will compile a list of sites that contain any matches. You can then submit a request to have the information removed pronto after reviewing these pages. On Google’s hub, you can view the status of all the requests you have made. 

Stay up-to-date with Google’s new push notifications for personal information 

Another addition is you can now receive push notifications that alert you when new results of your information pop up on Google. This makes it much easier for you as you don’t have to constantly reenter your information in the dashboard to check for matches.  

These notifications will tell how many search results on the internet show your personal information. You can then take action on this information and request that the details be taken off the internet.

Expanded removal guidelines 

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Google’s policies around the "results about you" feature have also shifted slightly. The removal guidelines used to only focus on information that was posted without consent. Now, they have been expanded, and personal info that you posted intentionally but later wanted to be removed is eligible for removal.  

Commercialized information does not fall under this category. However, there are some search results Google will not be able to remove, so be aware not all your requests will be successful. Google also will never take action against any results from governments or educational institutions.  

New parental control feature & SafeSearch's photo blurring 

There are also new, easier-to-find parental control features and the addition of SafeSearch’s photo blurring, which will blur out potentially explicit images. If you are panic about your family being exposed to inappropriate content, you can now preemptively censor certain things.  

How to request Google to remove your personal information without an account 

TEN TRICKS FOR DOING AN EFFECTIVE GOOGLE SEARCH 

Here's the best part. You don’t even need a Google account to get rid of your own info. There’s a new form you can use all on its own to make your request. Once you send it off, Google will shoot you an email so you can keep tabs on how things are going. You’ll know if they provide the green light to remove your info. If you do decide to log in, you can also see the progress on the dashboard. 

How to access Google’s ‘Results about you’ dashboard with an account  

Currently, this feature in Google’s "Results about you" dashboard is only available for usage in the U.S. via the Google app or Google site. Here's how to access it: 

Access through the Google App 

• Click on the Google App.
• Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner.
• Then scroll down and select ‘Results about you’ from the menu. Familiarize yourself with the steps you need to take to remove your personal info on Google.
• Then at the top of the page, search your name or whatever other information you want to be removed.

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• Click on three dots next to the search result in which you want to be removed.
• Select Remove result on the top of the page and then select whichever reason you have for removing the result.
• Enter the details asked so Google can see whether your request matches with the result, then select Continue at the bottom.
• Finally, click Send request.
• Google will contact you when it's checked your request, letting you know whether it has been approved or denied. You can also view your current requests by checking your "results about you" dashboard.

Access through Google's site 

You can click on the link here. You can follow these steps to submit a request to remove any of your information from the web: 

• Go to Google Search .
• Search your name or whatever other information you want to be removed.
• Click on three dots next to the search result in you want to be removed.

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• Select Remove result on the top of the page and then select whichever reason you have for removing the result.

• Enter the details asked so Google can see whether your request matches with the result, then select Continue at the bottom.

• Finally, click Send request.

• Google will contact you when it's checked your request, letting you know whether it has been approved or denied. You can also view your current requests by checking your "results about you" dashboard.

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Invest in removal services 

In addition to Google's "Results about you" tool, I recommend you invest in a removal service to get your personal information off the hundreds of people search sites out there. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time.

See my tips and best picks for removing yourself from the internet by going to CyberGuy.com/Delete

Kurt’s key takeaways

It is great to see Google making an effort to increase the safety of its search experience. While removal was possible before, it certainly was not easy.

This is an improved update to their 'Results about You' tool along with the new alerts warning you of your information appearing on the web. It is important to remember that just because your information has been removed from Google, it doesn’t mean all of your information is removed from other parts of the web.

Why do you think Google is making this move to make internet safety more accessible? And do you see this as the start of a potential trend with other engines and sites? Let us know by writing us at CyberGuy.com/Contact 

For more of my security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to CyberGuy.com/Newsletter

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Google announced Thursday that users will be informed if their private contact information is shared in search results without their consent.

The search engine said on Thursday that it would release a new dashboard in the coming days to inform users whether personal information they did not authorize comes about in its search results. The dashboard will work with features released last year that help users determine if their personal data is available on the dark web.

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"You can quickly request the removal of those results from Google — right in the tool," writes Danielle Romain, vice president of trust at Google. "We'll also notify you when new results from the web containing your contact info pop up in Search, to provide you added peace of mind."

Users can access the new tool through the Google app by tapping their profile photo and selecting the "results about you" tab. They can also visit a dedicated webpage to access the relevant information.

Google has also taken actions to limit the spread of unwanted explicit images. Parents can now enable their search to automatically blur out explicit images in Google Search. The blur will also be activated by default for any new account.

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Finally, users can ask Google to remove explicit images of themselves from search results. The removal will not affect if the image is available on other websites, but it will make finding the images significantly harder, Google argued.

Google launched its "Results About You" feature in 2022, which helps users identify if their private information has been acquired as part of a larger data breach.

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Google has announced several updates to Search aimed at making it easier for people to control information about them that appears in results. The company released a tool last year to help people take down search results containing their phone number, home address or email. Now, the company has updated the "results about you" tool to make it more effective.

A new dashboard will become available in the coming days that will let you know when such personal information pops up in Search. When you get an alert, you'll swiftly be able to ask Google to remove those results.

Earlier this year, the company debuted a Google One feature that can scour the dark web to see if your information has been included in a data breach. This "results about you" update seems to work in a similar way. The fact that it proactively finds results containing your personal info and helps you remove them should make it easier to protect your privacy.

You can access the tool from the Google app by tapping your profile photo and selecting "results about you" or from a dedicated webpage the company has set up. It's available in the US in English for now, but Google plans to offer the tool in other languages and regions soon.

Along similar lines, Google is updating a system that aids users in taking down explicit photos of them. The company has long provided the option for people to request the removal of non-consensual explicit images from search results. It's now expanding that policy to include consensual imagery.

Perhaps you uploaded explicit content of yourself to a website at one point, but decide you no longer want it to be available. If you delete the imagery from that website, you can now ask Google to remove it from search results if it has been published elsewhere without permission. The company notes that the policy doesn't apply to any content you're still commercializing.

It's not exactly rare for owners of websites that deal in explicit imagery to report content from elsewhere. Removing such content from Google Search results won't scrub it from the web entirely, but that may make it more difficult for people to find. You can search for "request removals" in the Google help center to get started.

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On top of all that, Google is rolling out updates for parental controls and SafeSearch. Starting this month, Google is blurring explicit imagery (which it defines as adult or graphic violent content) in search results by default, a move it announced earlier this year. You'll be able to turn off SafeSearch blurring from your settings, unless a school network admin or a guardian has locked the setting on your account.

Last but not least, it'll now be much easier to access parental controls from Search. Punch in a query like “google parental controls” or “google family link” and you'll see an information box that explains how to adjust the settings.

We Are The Essentials is a volunteer organization made up of former military and law enforcement members. They operate on donations.

When selecting an SEO service, you should first consider your SEO goals. Then, spend time with a few SEO service providers to discuss those needs in light of what each agency delivers. It’s also helpful to speak with current or past clients.

SEO service providers help you increase your visibility in search engines and thereby assist you in generating more traffic for your website. An SEO service provider may conduct a variety of tasks, including auditing your existing website for SEO effectiveness, conducting keyword searches, developing an SEO plan to outrank your competition and writing SEO copy for your site.

Types of SEO Services

Before purchasing SEO services, it’s wise to get a handle on the different types of SEO available. Understanding the basics will provide you a considerable advantage when evaluating SEO agencies.

• On-Page SEO: On-page SEO involves optimizing on-page content elements such as headlines, page content, image alt-tags, page titles and the page URL. Including appropriate internal and external links within your content also boosts on-page SEO.
• Off-Page SEO: Off-page SEO involves tactics that Improve your overall search rankings but are irrelevant to individual page content. Building high-authority backlinks to your site is a critical off-page SEO service that a top-notch SEO service group should provide.
• Technical SEO: Search engines need to understand your site content and structure, so an up-to-date XML sitemap is crucial for effective technical SEO. Other technical SEO necessities include eliminating site problems, such as slow page load times, mobile responsiveness issues, duplicate content and HTTP error codes, for example, 404, which indicates content is not found.
• Local SEO: Some service providers specialize in helping your site rank higher than competitors in your local market. Optimizing your Google Business Profile listing is key to local SEO success; a reputable local SEO service provider can handle this for you.
• E-Commerce SEO: Websites built for e-commerce need to be optimized somewhat differently than non-e-commerce sites. Some SEO agencies specialize in helping websites with online stores increase site traffic and Improve sales conversion metrics.
• Voice SEO: Voice search users typically ask conversational questions that contain more words in their search string than used in a text search. Voice SEO is particularly important for local service or hospitality businesses likely to benefit immediately from people looking for options for urgent needs, such as the nearest service station, bakery or dog groomer.

Portfolios and Results

When evaluating SEO service providers, be sure to look at their client portfolio and case studies that detail what they’ve accomplished for others. Pay attention to whether the SEO service specializes in specific industries or audiences and their typical client size.

Get a clear idea of what results might be possible—based on what the provider has done for others—as well as how long it will take for the new SEO efforts to start gaining traction. If you’re working with a strong SEO agency, you should start seeing some positive results within 60 to 90 days of initial strategy implementation, but keep in mind that it may take 120 days or longer to make a significant impact.

Potential Conflicts

When interviewing SEO providers, check for competitive conflicts. If an agency represents multiple companies targeting the same search content in the same, limited local market, that’s a potential red flag. While that type of SEO agency likely understands your market well, it is also likely using similar SEO strategies for direct competitors, which may put you at a disadvantage in tight local competitive climates.

Reporting and Transparency

It’s best to work with a provider that offers complete transparency on what they will do for you and how they’ll generate and report results. Some SEO agencies merely use powerful SEO analysis software such as Ahrefs, KWFinder or Semrush and regurgitate findings in the form of polished SEO reports for their clients. You could do that level of SEO on your own, and likely for a much lower cost than hiring an SEO agency.

While the search statistics from top SEO software programs are helpful, stats alone are insufficient. When evaluating SEO service providers, make them explain how they add value to your SEO efforts beyond what you could do for yourself via off-the-shelf SEO software.

Your SEO agency should deliver actionable insights on where and how to adjust your website content to achieve optimal search visibility. Your SEO provider should also help you better understand your search competition plus uncover untapped or under-tapped opportunities to elevate your search rankings.

Before agreeing to work with anyone, ask for a full accounting of what metrics will be reported, when the numbers will be reported and how performance trends will be tracked and reported over time. Your SEO service provider should offer detailed progress reports every month so you can measure the return on investment (ROI) of your SEO expenditures.

Ethics: White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO

White hat SEO refers to tactics that are aligned with search engine best practices. If an SEO tactic is Google-approved, you are safe to use it for your website. Black hat SEO refers to tactics that aim to Improve a website’s visibility in search using more manipulative methods that distort reality. Black hat tactics are banned by Google and could result in a traffic-dropping Google penalty or get your site blocked by search engines permanently.

Examples of black hat SEO include keyword stuffing, link spam, link exchanges, hidden text or links, buying backlinks and sneaky redirects. It’s important to vet your vendors well to ensure they only use white hat SEO tactics.

Customer Service and Reviews

You can and should expect exceptional customer service from your SEO partner. One way to assess a provider’s reputation is to search online for reviews written by genuine customers. If you’re working with a local business, check out customer reviews on their Google Business Profile page.

Another way to learn more about what you can expect in terms of service quality is to ask your professional network whether anyone has worked with a specific agency. Getting feedback from someone you know and trust is ideal. You can also ask the SEO agency you’re considering working with for customer references and speak directly with an active customer.

The All-Clad Essentials is part of the Cookware test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Cookware Sets (Nonstick) models like the Essentials are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Set Each set includes at least a saucepan, a frying pan, and a stockpot. Lids are typically counted as separate components in a set.

Cooking evenness A thermal imaging camera is used to evaluate the heating evenness of the frying pan

Nonstick food release Nonstick food release score reflects the nonstick qualities of a pan's interior by cooking four eggs consecutively without oil. An Excellent score indicates that all four eggs slid off the pan without assistance; A Poor score indicates that scraping was needed to release any egg from the pan and some egg residue was left on the pan.