As people leave behind larger digital footprints, personal information such as phone numbers, addresses and email IDs can often appear in search results. To address privacy concerns, Google introduced a feature called ‘Results About You,’ which helps individuals find and request the removal of certain personal details from its search results. The tool, launched in 2022 and expanded since then, is part of the company’s broader push to give users greater control over their online presence.

Google says the tool is part of a wider set of privacy features designed to help people manage their digital footprint. These include protections against non-consensual explicit images and features that help users track their personal data online, especially at a time when data brokers are freely selling personal information of online users.

While the feature does not erase personal information from the internet, it offers users a mechanism to manage how their data appears on one of the world’s most widely used search engines.

‘Results About You’ is a privacy tool within Google Search that allows users to identify search results containing their personal information and request that those results be removed from the search engine.

The feature enables users to track and manage information such as their phone number, email address, or home address that appears in Google Search results. If such information is found on publicly accessible webpages and appears in search listings, the user can submit a removal request directly through the tool.

Importantly, removing a result through this tool does not delete the information from the original website. Instead, it removes or limits its visibility in Google’s search results. Users may still need to contact the website hosting the information to remove it entirely.

How the tool works

Users can access the feature through the Google app or their Google account settings. After opting in, they can enter personal details such as their name, phone numbers, addresses or email IDs.

Google’s system then scans search results to detect pages that contain this information. When a match is found, the user receives a notification and can review the results through a dashboard.

From there, users can submit a removal request, following which Google then evaluates the request and decides whether the result should be removed from its listings.

What kinds of information can be removed

Google’s policies allow removal requests for several types of sensitive personal information. These include:

Part of broader privacy measures

The primary aim of the feature is to help individuals reduce the visibility of sensitive personal information that can be exploited online. Personal data that appears publicly in search results can sometimes be used for harassment, identity theft or fraud.

By allowing users to identify and request removal of such information from search results, the tool provides a way to limit how easily it can be discovered through simple searches.

Another aspect of the feature is proactive monitoring. Users can opt to receive alerts if new search results appear that contain their personal information. This allows them to act quickly and request removal when such information surfaces online.