Google Enhances Personal Data Removal Tools in Search with Government ID Protection

10.02.2026

In observance of Safer Internet Day, Google has announced significant enhancements to its "Results about you" feature and non-consensual explicit image removal capabilities, expanding user control over personal information visibility in Search results.

The updated "Results about you" tool, which previously enabled users to request removal of Search results containing contact information such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses, now supports removal requests for sensitive government-issued identification data including:

• Driver's license numbers
• Passport information
• Social Security numbers

Implementation Process:

Users can access the enhanced tool through the Google mobile application by navigating to their account profile and selecting "Results about you." First-time users must complete an onboarding process by clicking "Get started" and specifying the personal contact information they wish to monitor. The system then prompts users to add government ID numbers for tracking.

Existing users can seamlessly integrate their ID numbers into their monitoring preferences. Upon confirmation, Google's automated system continuously scans Search results and delivers notifications when matching information is detected.

Important note: While this functionality removes information from Google Search results, it does not eliminate the data from its original web sources. However, this approach significantly enhances privacy protection by reducing discoverability.

The feature is currently rolling out across the United States over the coming days, with international expansion planned for future releases.

Streamlined Non-Consensual Explicit Image Removal:

Google has also simplified the process for reporting and removing non-consensual explicit imagery. The new workflow allows users to:

1. Click the three-dot menu on an image
2. Select "remove result"
3. Choose "It shows a sexual image of me"

A significant improvement eliminates the previous requirement to submit individual reports for each image. Users can now select multiple images and submit batch removal requests through a unified form interface. All request statuses are consolidated within the "Results about you" hub for centralized tracking.

Google acknowledges that content removal represents only a partial solution to the problem. The updated process includes an opt-in proactive filtering mechanism that automatically blocks similar explicit content from appearing in future search queries, providing an additional layer of preventative protection.

Sources:

Google Official Blog - Remove Explicit Images

Tags: Google Search user safety content moderation privacy protection Data Removal

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