Google will let people track and report more personal information.

Google will expand its 'Results about you' tool in the US to let people register and monitor passport, driver's license and Social Security numbers and request removal of links if those details appear in search results.

Google will expand its ‘‘Results about you’’ feature so people can track more forms of personal identification when they appear in search results. The company announced the change on its corporate blog and said the expansion will begin in the US in the coming days. Previously the tool covered a person’s name, home and email address and phone number. The newly included identifiers are passport information, driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers. Key details: - The tool will monitor passport data, driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers when users register those identifiers with Google. - If such information appears in search results, a person can request that Google remove the relevant web links from search results. - The expansion begins in the US in the coming days, and Google said it will reach additional regions later. - Enabling monitoring requires users to register the specific identification information with Google (for example, providing a driver’s license number to monitor it). - Google said the tool uses rigorous security protocols and advanced encryption to prevent misuse and protect privacy. - Identity theft reports in the US topped 1.1 million cases last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Summary: The change broadens the types of personal identifiers people can monitor through Google search and adds an option to request removal of links that expose those identifiers. The rollout begins in the US in the coming days and will be made available to additional regions later.