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.
It's easier than ever to get your personal information removed from Google results. (CyberGuy.com)
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
BEST PRIVATE AND SAFE ALTERNATIVES TO BIG TECH GOOGLE
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 supply 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.
BIG TECH TOOK YOUR DATA TO TRAIN AI. WE'RE SUING THEM FOR IT
- 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.
Google's new feature to remove personal information from search results (CyberGuy.com)
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- Select Remove result on the top of the page and then select whichever reason you have for removing the result.
Here's how to request getting your personal information off Google. (CyberGuy.com)
- Enter the details asked so Google can see whether your request matches with the result, then select Continue at the bottom.
Fill in the details to inform Google of the issue. (CyberGuy.com)
- Finally, click Send request.
Here's the final step to filling out the Google request. (CyberGuy.com)
- 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.
MORE: SAY HELLO TO GOOGLE WALLET'S 6 AMAZING NEW FEATURES FOR ANDROID PHONES
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
Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
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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.
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.
Google will soon notify you when your contact information shows up in Search, and make it easy for you to request it be removed. It's a potentially useful new feature for anyone who has ever been doxxed.
Announced on Thursday alongside new policies on removing revenge porn and the blurring of explicit images, Google's new Results About You dashboard that will show you if your contact information is appearing in search results, and ping you when any new results with your information pop up. You can then use the tool to immediately ask Google to remove those pages from search results.
You may not be able to take the offending web pages down without getting lawyers involved, but at least you can significantly hinder other people from finding them.
The dashboard will be accessible in the Google app by selecting your profile picture then choosing "Results about you," or by visiting goo.gle/resultsaboutyou in your browser.
Google's new Results About You tool is part of several new safety-oriented features announced this week. The tech giant also revealed a new SafeSearch setting that will automatically flag and blur explicit images, and is on by default.
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The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) equips members of the Smithsonian community with the technology tools, services, and applications they need to carry out their responsibilities effectively. OCIO manages a state-of-the-art data center in Herndon, VA, supporting Smithsonian facilities and staff in Washington, New York, Cambridge, MA, the country Panama, and other locations around the world. Beyond ensuring robust day-to-day operations, OCIO professionals partner with subject matter experts throughout the Institution to deliver leading-edge technology solutions in areas of strategic importance.
OCIO has played a key role in the development and delivery of the “Digital Smithsonian,” making our vast collections, research, and educational resources accessible online to millions of people around the world. Over the past decade, OCIO has dedicated significant resources to the digitization of collections and research data and to making our digital assets accessible to the public via the web, social media, in-museum technologies, etc.
Our Priorities
- Empower all Smithsonian staff members with the technology solutions they need to do their best work.
- Deliver enterprise solutions that respond to the organization’s complex and ever-evolving requirements.
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- Expand central and unit capability to create and manage digital content from collections.
- Enable the full, coordinated sharing of Smithsonian cultural, scientific, and information resources with the public.
- Create a technology environment that supports and strengthens the Institution’s scientific research enterprise.
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Digitization Program Office
The Digitization Program Office was founded to “integrate digitization into the core functions of the Smithsonian.The scale and diversity of Smithsonian collections presents a unique digitization challenge. The Digitization Program Office meets the challenge by establishing metrics that track digitization progress across the Smithsonian; by running pilot and production digitization prototype projects in our museums; by investigating cutting-edge technologies such as 3D digitization in their application to our collections and scientific research; and by investigating additional tools and techniques such as robotic and conveyor belt capture to further increase productivity.
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Collections Search Center
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The Office of the Chief Information Officer supports this program by serving on the Smithsonian Music Executive Committee to help encourage collaboration between music enthusiasts and scholars across the Institution by providing collaboration tools, developing and maintaining a website and providing resources to operate to generate content on a day-to-day basis.
Google will now alert people when their personal information appears online – and make it easier to get it removed.
The new tools are aimed at giving people more control over the information and images of them that appear online, the company said.
New rules on personal explicit images mean that users will be able to request that explicit images of themselves are taken down from search results. That extends to situations where someone has willingly uploaded explicit content themselves and then later wants it to be removed from search results.
The same policy applies to personal information generally. That too will not only appear in Google’s tools but will also be easier to have removed.
Google has long had policies that are intended to help people have non-consensual explicit imagery removed from search results. But the changes mean that people can have that content removed even when it was uploaded consensually at the time.
In its update, Google stressed that it was only able to remove content from Google search, and that doing so would not affect its availability on other websites or search engines. But removing any unwanted images from search results should make them much more difficult to find.
The new features are part of an expansion of Google’s “Results about you” tool, which it first made available last year. When it was launched, it was intended to make it easier for people to request the removal of search results that contain personal information, such as phone numbers or home addresses.
Now it has been improved so that it is proactive in finding search results that include that information. Users will be able to access the dashboard and see any web results that include that contact information.
Users will then be able to access an improved form to ask to have those taken down.
The dashboard is available only in the US and in English for now. Google said it was “working to bring it to new languages and locations soon”.
