The Google App would be thrilled to provide its assistance in protecting your privacy when it comes to search results.
To better protect users’ privacy, Google has released a new tool that will automatically hide personally identifiable information (PII).
If you’re using an Android device and have opened the Google app, you might notice a profile image in the upper right corner. The new “Results about you” option in the menu will be visible to them there. If you click that link, you’ll be taken to a page with instructions for removing your information from search results. Information such as names, residences, phone numbers, and email addresses are included.
Users can access more options when they find PII by utilizing the three dots menu on each search result. They can use the new “Remove result” feature that has been included. A user must provide an explanation for removing content, such as “it displays my personal contact information,” “it contains illegal information,” or “it is outdated.”
Release timing is painfully slow
Users will subsequently be able to monitor Google’s removal efforts. All requests, in process, and approved will be sorted into separate folders.
Launching “in the next months,” Google’s new tool was first unveiled in May 2022 during its I/O 2022 conference, and it has only begun rolling out to some users in Europe and the United States.
It also detailed its decision-making process for approving or rejecting requests: When we receive requests to take down content, we review the entire page to make sure we aren’t hiding away widely-appreciated resources like news stories or scholarly papers. If you’re comfortable, contact the hosting site to remove the item from Google Search.