Google upgrades personal data protection in search

Google has expanded its personal data protection tools in search results, timing the update to coincide with Safer Internet Day. The company has upgraded its Results about you service, which now allows users to not only track the appearance of their data in search results but also request removal of a broader range of confidential information.

Previously, the tool primarily worked with phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses. Now, more sensitive details can be removed, including driver's license data, passport information, and social security numbers. Users input their data into the system, after which Google automatically monitors search results and notifies them of matches, offering to submit requests to exclude such results.

Special attention is given to image protection. The process for reporting unauthorized intimate photos has been simplified: users just need to open the menu above an image, select the removal option, and specify the reason. Requests can now be submitted for multiple images at once, and tracking of request statuses is consolidated in the updated Results about you management center.

Google emphasizes that removing a link from search results doesn't mean the information disappears completely from the internet—the content may remain on the original website. However, exclusion from search results significantly reduces the likelihood of it being found. The feature is initially launching in the U.S., with plans to expand to other countries later.