Have you ever done a Google search on yourself and been taken aback by the vintage usernames, social media posts, and other online artefacts it turns up? Perhaps the results include additional details, such as a previous address or phone number. Nobody wants their private contact details to be publicly visible without their knowledge, but Google can now assist with that.
A new Google Search feature that notifies users when their personal contact information appears in a Google Search query was unveiled in August. “Results About You” provides the ability to delete a page from Google’s results in addition to allowing users to see when and where their contact information appears on the search engine.
When Results About You was first announced, as observed by Amanda Yeo of Mashable, it was especially beneficial for people who have been doxxed or are in risk of being doxxed.
Users will have more control over their digital footprint—or at least what Google records about them—when combined with existing privacy settings offered by Google and planned additions. This is how you apply it.
How to turn on Results About You:
This alert can only be enabled by Google account holders, so be sure you have either created or are logged into your Google account.
- Go to the activity page Results About You.
- To begin, click “Get Started” and follow to the prompts on screen.
- If you want any contact information to be marked, Google will prompt you to add it. Multiple names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails can be added by users.
- Verify the details and choose your preferred notification method. Google may send push alerts to devices associated with your Google account or deliver the results to the email linked to your account.
- Google will automatically search for any personal information about you and notify you if it does. The initial scan may take several hours, according to the business.
- To update your contact details, go back to the Results About You page at any time.
How to get your personal information out of Search:
Google can assist individuals in getting personal contact information results deleted from Google Search pages, even though it cannot remove any content or photos from non-Google websites.
You can ask Google to take personal information out of search results in one of two ways:
Regarding Results for You:
- Go to the activity page Results About You.
- Select “Results to review.”
- If there are any results you would like removed, check the blue box next to them.
- Submit request.
Google considers every request in accordance with its removal rules. On the Results About You page, you can view the status of a request and undo removals.
Via Google’s Help Center removal form:
- Visit the personal content removal form on Google support.
- Please provide the relevant details, including the kind of content. Screenshots, URLs to search result pages, and particular search phrases that were used to generate the result may be requested by Google.
- Once completed, send the form in.
Go to Google’s Safety Centre for further details on Google’s controls over personal information and privacy.