Google is further expanding its ‘Results about you’ feature, which allows you to find and remove personal information in Google Search, to include information such as your ID card and driver’s license.
With Google’s ‘Results about you’ feature, you can search for data about yourself in Google Search and subsequently have it removed. The feature already existed for personal information such as a phone number or home address, but Google is now adding government identification, such as an ID card or driver’s license. The expansion is being rolled out in the United States first.
Monitoring via central hub
The tool is available via the Google app. Users click on their Google account photo and select ‘Results about you’. Additionally, there is direct access via a separate Google webpage. Those using the tool for the first time can enter personal contact details to be monitored. What’s new is that government document numbers can now also be added.
Users who are already actively using the service can add their ID numbers via the existing settings. Once the data is confirmed, Google automatically checks if that information appears in search results. If it does, the user receives a notification and can submit a removal request.
Remove from search results
Google emphasizes that removing information from Google Search does not mean the data disappears from the internet entirely. The original content remains on the source website. However, the measure ensures that the information becomes less visible via the search engine.
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According to Google, the tool uses existing security protocols and encryption to protect entered data from misuse. The expansion to include monitoring of government IDs will be rolled out in the United States in the coming days. The company indicates that it is working on availability in other regions but has not yet shared a specific timeline.