With our private data scattered all over the internet, it’s inevitable that some personal information will end up in Google search results.
Fortunately, Google has a process that allows individuals to request certain search results be removed. In April, the company added new categories of information that could be removed upon request, including phone numbers and physical addresses.
What information will Google remove from Search?
- Personal contact information, including your email address, telephone number and physical address.
- Content that can lead to identity theft, like credit card and bank account numbers or images of your signature.
- Details that pose a risk of hacking, like login IDs and passwords.
- Search results with nonconsensual explicit images or deep-fake pornography.
- Medical records and other confidential information.
- Pictures of minors.
- “Irrelevant pornography” tied to your name.
How do I get Google to remove something from Search?
You need to file a request and include the URLs of pages hosting your information, as well as search pages that surface those links. You may also need to include screenshots of the information in question. Google will then evaluate your request, taking into account if the removal would limit access to publicly available information or if it’s “broadly useful,” like a news article.
You’ll get a notification of any action taken. Depending on the content and context, Google may remove the links from all search results, or just results that include your name. More details on the process can be found on the Google Support Site.
