Finding your personal phone number, home address, or email address exposed in public search results can be a deeply unsettling experience. Whether the information was scraped by data brokers or leaked maliciously, leaving it easily searchable exposes you to identity theft, stalking, and relentless spam.
Fortunately, Google now offers a dedicated privacy tool called “Results about you”, allowing you to request the rapid removal of your personal information from Google Search results without having to navigate confusing legal forms.
What Information Can You Remove?
Historically, Google would only remove search results that contained highly sensitive financial data (like credit card numbers) or non-consensual explicit imagery. However, their privacy policies have evolved significantly. You can now request the removal of results containing:
- Personal phone numbers.
- Physical home addresses.
- Personal email addresses.
- Confidential login credentials.
- Images of handwritten signatures or ID documents.
It is crucial to understand that Google is only a search engine. Removing a result from Google does not delete the information from the internet. The data will still exist on the original website, but it will be much harder for the average person to find it.
How to Use the “Results About You” Dashboard
The easiest way to audit and remove your personal information is by using Google’s dedicated privacy dashboard. This tool is currently rolling out globally, so if you do not see it yet, check back in a few weeks.
Step 1: Set Up Your Monitoring Profile
- Open your web browser and navigate to the Results about you dashboard.
- Log in with your primary Google account.
- Click on Get Started.
- You will be prompted to enter your personal details, including your full name, home address, phone number, and email. Google uses this strictly to scan the web for your data.
- Choose how you want to be notified (Email or Push notification) when new results are found.
Step 2: Review and Remove Discovered Results
Once your profile is set up, Google will continuously scan the web. When it finds your information, it will appear in the Results to review tab.
- Click on a result to view the specific webpage exposing your data.
- If you want the result hidden from Google Search, click the Remove button.
- Google will ask why you want it removed. Select the option that states it contains your personal contact info.
- Submit the request.
You can track the status of your takedown requests in the Removal requests tab. Most requests are processed within a few days.
How to Manually Request Removal for Specific URLs
If you find a search result exposing your information before the automated dashboard detects it, you can submit a manual removal request.
- Perform a Google search that brings up the offending webpage.
- Look for the three vertical dots (⋮) next to the search result URL and click them.
- In the “About this result” panel that slides out, click on Remove result.
- Select It shows my personal contact info and follow the on-screen prompts to submit the URL for review.
Next Steps: Contacting the Source Website
While hiding the search result is an excellent first step for damage control, the website hosting your data is still live. Data broker websites, such as Whitepages or Spokeo, make their money by selling this information.
To permanently secure your privacy, you must visit the source website directly. Scroll to the very bottom of the page and look for a link titled Privacy Policy, Do Not Sell My Info, or Opt-Out. Follow their specific procedures to have your record permanently purged from their database.
