In 2022, Google released a tool called Results About You that allowed users to request removal of personal information from Search results. Today, the company has announced that it is adding updated controls that will make the process even easier for getting certain details erased or have outdated information replaced with fresh one.
“Our new hub makes signing up easier than ever, and with proactive monitoring, we’ll do the hard work for you – alerting you if new results are found,” says the company. The more notable change is the ease at requesting changes to personal information that appears in Google Search results.
When you look up your name or business on Google Search, multiple search results pop up. If any of them appear to content sensitive information, you can request the removal by simply tapping on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner of the search result box.
On mobile, tapping on the menu button directly takes you to the next page where you see more details about how it was indexed on Google Search. At the top, you will see a “Remove result” button, which you can tap to submit a data removal request.
On the next page, you can specify the exact reason why you want that particular search result scrubbed off. You can cite privacy as one of the reasons for removing sensitive information (such as phone number, government ID details, financial data, passwords, restricted logs, etc), or mention a legal reason for it.
At the bottom, you will also find an information refresh option where you can ask for outdated details to be replaced with updated information. Requests for data removal or update usually take a few days, and once it has proceeded, users will be notified about it on their registered email address.
Google says the search system will perform a fresh web crawl and update the requested Search result with the latest available information. I submitted a request for updating details about my journalism career on a Search result, and the request was approved in less than ten minutes.
The company also has dedicated protocols for removing not just professional information from Search results, but also those covering urgent issues such as explicit or personal media, non-consensual fake material, exploitative content, and personally identifiable information.
