Google has announced it now has a new policy that it claims help users take more control of their online presence in Search.
In a blog post by Michelle Chang, Global Policy Lead for Search, the company noted that users can now request removals of additional types of information when they find it in Search results, including personal contact information like a phone number, email address, or physical address.
Previously, the option was limited to information that could be used to steal your identity or money; now, you can request that Google disable certain URLs that point to information that could lead someone to your house or get them access to your accounts.
The Tech giant says it is providing new alternatives to users noting that “the internet is always evolving,” and the prospect of its search engine revealing your phone number or home address can be both disorienting and hazardous.
The following is a list of the types of information that Google may erase, with the recent additions highlighted;
- Confidential government identification (ID) numbers like U.S. Social Security Number, Argentine Single Tax Identification Number, etc.
- Bank account numbers
- Credit card numbers
- Images of handwritten signatures
- Images of ID docs
- Highly personal, restricted, and official records, like medical records (used to read “Confidential personal medical records”)
- Personal contact info (physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses)
- Confidential login credentials
The company also noted (in its policy) that it will remove “non-consensual explicit or intimate personal photographs,” pornographic deepfakes or Photoshops incorporating your likeness, and referrals to sites with “exploitative removal practices,”.
Making a request entails providing Google with a list of URLs that point to the personal data, as well as the search pages that surface those links. Google will consider your request after you submit it. According to its FAQ, it makes an effort to “preserve information access when it is found to be of public interest,” such as when it is “newsworthy,” “professionally relevant,” or originates from a government. If Google decides to remove the links, it claims they will either not appear for any search query or will not be surfaced for searches containing your name.
The Search giant appears to be setting a relatively high threshold for what constitutes personally identifiable information, which contrasts with the systems it has been forced to implement in countries such as the European Union to comply with so-called right to be forgotten laws. These laws allow individuals to seek the removal of links they believe are unfavourable or irrelevant, which is not the situation here – the limitations Google adopted only apply to links to extremely sensitive information.
Notably, as Google emphasizes on its support page and in a blog post, removing something from Google Search does not automatically remove it from the internet. If, for example, you request that Google remove a forum post including your address from its index, everyone who visits that forum will still be able to access it.
