Google Expands Personal Info It Will Remove From Search Results

Google expanded the type of personal information it will remove from search results on requests such as someone's physical address, phone number, and passwords, to URLs that point to information that could lead someone to a home or give them access to financial accounts.

Giving people the option because “the internet is always evolving” -- and in some cases, a scary place -- prevents any liability that could potentially lead to lawsuits, although that is not discussed in the blog post.

Removing information from search results is not new, but Google did expand what it will remove and made the process to remove that information easier.

The policy also allows people to request removals for additional information that may pose a risk for identity theft -- such as confidential log-in credentials -- when it appears in search results.

The list includes:

  • Confidential government identification (ID) numbers like U.S. Social Security Number, Argentine Single Tax Identification Number, Brazil Cadastro de pessoas Físicas, etc.
  • Bank account numbers
  • Credit card numbers
  • Images of handwritten signatures
  • Images of ID docs
  • Highly personal, restricted, and official records, like medical records (used to read “Confidential personal medical records”)
  • Personal contact info (physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses)
  • Confidential login credentials
Google will consider removing doxxing content, which refers to searching for and publishing private or identifying information about a particular individual on the internet, typically with malicious intent. That content must meet these requirements:
  • Contact information is present
  • A presence of explicit or implicit threats
  • Explicit or implicit calls to action for others to harm or harass
The URLs must be submitted in this form. 

Google will also remove “non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images,” pornographic deepfakes or Photoshops featuring the person's likeness, or links to sites with “exploitative removal practices.” 

The support page details all. 

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