How to Eliminate Your Personal Information from Google

How to Eliminate Your Personal Information from Google Using the ‘Results About You’ Feature

You now have the option to set up alerts whenever your home address, phone number, or email address appears in Google’s search results.

In 2022, Google introduced the “Results about you” tool, designed to assist individuals in erasing personal information from the company’s search results. With billions of searches taking place on Google daily, stumbling upon your private phone number or home address listed for the world to access can be startling. Fortunately, recent enhancements to the “Results about you” tool simplify the process of identifying instances when your data surfaces in search results.

Previously, it was necessary to actively locate links to websites containing your personal data, then report and request the removal of identifiable information. Presently, you can set up alerts to be notified whenever your email, home address, or phone number emerges on Google. Initially, this feature will be accessible only in the US and will focus on results in the English language.

The “Results about you” tool can be accessed through your web browser or the mobile app. If you’re using a browser, log into your Google account or create one, then visit the designated webpage to begin. For app users (Android or Apple), tap on your profile icon and select the option from the menu.

Following this, tap the “Get started” button. Proceed with the “Next” button twice, leading you to a page where you can provide personal details. Alongside your name, you have three options to fill in: home address, phone number, and email.

How to Eliminate Your Personal Information from Google.

Enter the information you want the tool to scan for and check the box confirming the authenticity of the provided details. On the final page, choose your preferred method of receiving notifications. Google can send you an email notification upon discovering your information, and their app can also deliver a push notification to your smartphone.

The subsequent step might be the most patience-testing: the waiting period. Yes, it can be nerve-wracking. Upon inputting my information for a scan, the process took roughly an hour and a half, though your experience may differ. Any findings will be listed in the “Results to review” section. Here, you can monitor the last scan performed by the tool.

For a more comprehensive guide detailing the necessary information to submit a removal request to Google, refer to my article that guides you through the entire process. Once your request is submitted, you can use the “Results about you” tool to track the status of your request—whether it’s in progress, approved, or declined. Here are three key points to remember:

1. This is merely a request. Google’s reviewers might choose to take no action, remove the result associated with your name, or completely eliminate the result.

2. Other personal information you can request for removal includes social security numbers, credit card details, handwritten signatures, medical records, and login credentials.

3. Despite Google’s ability to remove the search result to reduce visibility, you need to contact the owner or hosting service responsible for the webpage’s content to have the data fully eradicated.

Historically, criticism of Google’s privacy features focused on the burden placed on users to safeguard themselves. By streamlining certain aspects of the process for removing personal information and offering proactive notifications, the company is taking small yet significant steps toward more manageable privacy controls.

While the “Results about you” tool is a valuable free resource, if concerns about online doxxing persist, it might be worth considering a paid service like DeleteMe, which aims to counteract online data brokers.