Google lets users remove ID numbers and sensitive info from Search results by requesting deletions through their Results about you tool.
San Francisco: Google made new tools to help people take out personal info from search results. On Safer Internet Day, the company said its “Results about you” tool can now delete Search results that show driver’s licenses, passports, or Social Security numbers.
You open the tool in the Google app by tapping your account photo and choosing “Results about you.” The tool looks at Search results for your phone number, email, home address, and now your ID numbers. When Google finds your private info, it tells you and asks if you want it removed. Taking info out of Search does not remove it from the web, but it makes it harder to find.
The update starts in the United States and will come to other countries later. Google also made it easier to remove unwanted sexual images. You click three dots on an image and select “remove result” then choose “It shows a sexual image of me.” You can now pick many images at once to delete them. Google will also check for new harmful images and block them when you say yes to safety settings. The company says taking images down is only part of the answer to keep people safe online.