Google will now start alerting users when it finds out that their personal information has been posted on the internet, making it easier for people to manage sensitive information online. “Research has told us there’s a larger amount of personally identifiable information that users consider as sensitive,” Michelle Chang, global policy lead for Google Search, told Reuters at the time. “They are increasingly unwilling to tolerate this content online.”
Danielle Romain, vice-president of trust at Google, said that the search giant will roll out a new dashboard in the coming days that will let users know if their contact information has shown up in any search results. “Then, you can quickly request the removal of those results from Google – right in the tool,” she said. “We’ll also notify you when new results from the web containing your contact info pop up in Search, to give you added peace of mind.”
The tool can be accessed in the Google app by clicking on one’s profile photo and selection the Results About You option. Currently available only the US and in English, Romain said Results About You will be introduced to other locations and in other languages soon. In other measures to boost privacy, Google said explicit images such as adult or violent content will now be blurred by default when they appear on search results. Rolling out globally, the feature can be reversed by adjusting one’s settings and turning SafeSearch off.
