Starting today, you can ask Google to remove your phone number from search results. This new measure is accompanied by many elements that can be deleted, such as identity documents or bank details. However, the Mountain View company specifies that this data will not be deleted from the Internet.
It may happen that we reveal information about us on the Internet and that we wish to withdraw it a few years later. Conversely, it is also possible that this information appears against our will. However, it is always extremely difficult to wipe data off the internet. For some time, Google has been doing its best to overcome this problem, by removing some compromising content from its search results.
Indeed, if it is not uncommon for the Mountain View firm to block illegal download sites, it can also come to the aid of its users. Since last year, for example, the site has been able to remove photos of minors from its search results. In a recent blog post, Google announced that other content that may be subject to a removal request just added to the list.
Here’s everything you can get out of Google search results
Perhaps the most notable of these is phone numberwhich if made public, can help bad guys organize scams or just get harassed by various prospecting services. “The availability of personal contact information online can be shocking — and it can be used in harmful ways, including for unwanted direct contact or even physical harm”, writes Google. Here is the complete list of data that can now be deleted:
- Confidential government identification numbers (Social Security, Argentina’s Unique Tax ID, etc.)
- Bank account numbers
- Credit card numbers
- Images of handwritten signatures
- Images of identity documents
- Very personal, restricted and official records, such as medical records
- Personal contact details (physical addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses)
- Confidential login credentials
On the same subject: Google — the search engine warns you when it has doubts about the reliability of its results
On a support page, Google also adds that you can ask to remove “non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images”, as well as pornographic deepfakess. That being said, the firm specifies that the removal of these contents does not mean their complete removal from the Internet. It will therefore be possible to find their trace using another search engine.
Source : Google
