Google’s new policy makes removing your personal information and other risky info from search results easier.
Google announced that users could have all their “personal” information removed easily from SERPs.
How does this offer differentiate from the past ones?
The company had offered similar options to users before; however, information types are expanded this time; if somebody sends a request, chances are if it isn’t in the public interest or newsworthy, Google will take it down.
In previous times, such requests may only be granted when employees at Google agreed that leaving it up may cause a person serious harm.
“On Google Search, we already have a set of policies that allow people to request the removal of certain content from Search, with a focus on highly personal content that, if public, can cause direct harm to people,” Google said in a blog post. “But the internet is always evolving – with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways — so our policies and protections need to evolve, too.”
Preventing fraud and identifying theft
Google has removed credit card and bank account details on requests to keep fraud at bay. However, now users can request Google to remove their addresses, email addresses, and cell phone numbers as well. This should be more than adequate to curb doxing.
Google said they could remove Social Security and credit card numbers, government IDs, medical records, handwritten signatures, log-in details, ID images, tax information, and other forms of determining official records to block identity theft.
In short, users can disappear into thin lines from SERPs if they want to limit personal info to themselves.
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