Google expands tools to let users remove sensitive data about themselves from Search

As part of Safer Internet Day, Google unveiled updates to its “Results about you” and non-consensual explicit image removal tools.

The “Results about you” tool already allows users to remove Search results containing their phone number, email address, or home address, and it can now also be used to request the removal of results that include information such as a driver’s license, passport, or Social Security number, the company said in the update Tuesday.

You can access the tool in the Google app by tapping your Google account photo and selecting “Results about you.” If it’s your first time using the tool, you need to click “Get started” and then add the personal contact information you want to monitor. You’ll then be prompted to add your government ID numbers. Existing users can add their ID numbers and select which ones they want to monitor.

Once you’ve confirmed your details, Google will automatically monitor Search results and notify you if it finds results that contain your information. Google notes that removing this information from Search doesn’t remove it from the web entirely, but that doing so can help keep your information private.

The update is rolling out in the U.S. over the coming days. Google plans to bring it to additional regions in the future.

The tech giant also announced that it’s making it easier to request the removal of non-consensual explicit images on Search. Now, users just have to click on the three dots on an image, select “remove result,” then tap “It shows a sexual image of me.” Additionally, you no longer need to report images one by one, as you can now select and submit requests for multiple images from Search results using a single form. Users can also track the status of all requests in one place within the “Results about you” hub.

“We understand that removing existing content is only part of the solution,” Google wrote in its blog post. “For added protection, the new process allows you to opt-in to safeguards that will proactively filter out any additional explicit results that might appear in similar searches.”