← NewsAll
Personal info on Google Search can be removed using Google's tools
Summary
Google offers a Results About You page and browser removal options to request that personally identifiable information be removed from its search results; removal from search does not erase the original website content.
Content
Google now provides ways to notify you when personally identifiable information appears in its search results and to request removal of those listings. The Results About You activity page can send alerts and show items Google finds that match addresses, emails, and phone numbers you enter. In 2025 Google added a browser-based Remove result option accessed from the three-dot menu beside search listings. Removal from Google search does not delete the underlying webpage; the original site can still host the information.
Key points:
- The Results About You activity page can notify a logged-in user when Google finds listed personal information and lets users mark results for removal.
- A 2025 browser feature lets users select Remove result from a listing and state why it should be removed (PII, illegal content, or outdated material).
- Google accepts manual removal requests for specific categories such as government ID numbers, bank or credit card data, signatures, login credentials, medical records, explicit content tied to a name, and nonconsensual deepfake pornography.
- If the content appears on a page you control, Google notes that updated pages may be removed from search once refreshed or when an outdated cached version is cleared; image removals require copying image URLs for submission.
- Google reviews each request, may ask whether the site owner was contacted first, and does not guarantee removal, especially when pages contain broader public-interest information such as in news coverage.
- Other search engines have more limited options: DuckDuckGo offers an email contact and a paid removal service, Bing focuses on page removal for content already offline, and Yahoo generally continues to index available material.
Summary:
The article reports that Google provides multiple tools to detect and request removal of personal information from search results, including an activity page, a browser-based Remove result action, and dedicated manual request forms. Undetermined at this time.
