How to Remove Your Personal Information from Google Search Results

• Google is offering a new tool that allows people in the U.S. to remove their personal data from its search results to help protect personal privacy.
• To submit a request, follow the five-step process on Google’s special form. The process includes providing search results and URLs of web pages displaying personal data.
• Confidential government identification numbers, bank account and credit card numbers, pictures of handwritten signatures and identifying documents, medical records, and contact information can all be removed.
• Since identity criminals cannot misuse what they do not have, removing personal information can help reduce the risk of becoming an identity crime victim.
• Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center toll-free to speak with an expert advisor to learn more on how to remove your personal information from Google Search results. Call 888.400.5530 or live-chat on the website idtheftcenter.org.

Do you believe tech companies know too much about you? Have you ever wanted to remove your personally identifiable information (PII) from the Internet? Are you concerned people may be able to misuse your information to commit identity crimes in your name? If so, there is a new tool to remove your personal information from Google Search results.

How it Works

Submit a request to remove your PII from Google Search results using a special form that walks you through the process. Google will ask you what you want to do, where you saw the information you wish to have removed, ask for the information you want to be removed, and whether or not you have contacted the website’s owner.

Steps to Take

1. Click the blue “Start removal request” button near the bottom of the Google form.
2. Select an option: “Remove information you see in Google Search,” “In Google’s Search results and on a website,” or “No, I prefer not to.”
3. Select the proper category for your request. If you are trying to remove personal information from multiple categories, you will have to complete separate forms for each request.
4. Once you select your options, a new form will appear that asks for your full name, country and email address. You will also be asked for search terms and URLs of web pages displaying your personal information.
5. Check the box that asks for an electronic signature and click “Submit.”

Criteria to Remove Your Personal Information from Google Search Results

Even if you submit a request to remove your PII from Google Search results, that does not necessarily mean it will be removed. There are some reasons Google may deny a request, most notably if the information is deemed “broadly useful.” For Google to act, the information you want to be removed must fit into one of these categories:

• Confidential government identification numbers like a Social Security Number (SSN)
• Bank account and credit card numbers
• Pictures of your handwritten signature
• Pictures of identifying documents
• Medical records and other classified information
• Personal contact information (phone numbers, home address, email addresses)
• Login credentials
• Pictures of anyone under 18 years old

Impacts of the Change

Identity criminals cannot use what they don’t have. It is one of the main reasons the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) always encourages consumers and businesses to safeguard PII. Data can still be leaked online, whether from a data breach, scraping, oversharing on social media or some other action. Any of your personal information can be used to commit identity crimes in your name, whether it is piecing together your identity via social engineering, using your login credentials to engage in credential stuffing to access multiple accounts, or using your information to launch phishing attacks. While removing your personal information from Google Search results is cumbersome, it gives you another avenue to protect your data – which could reduce the risk of falling victim to an identity crime.

Contact the ITRC

If you want to learn more about how to remove your personal information from Google Search results or general advice on how to protect yourself against identity crimes, contact the ITRC. You can speak with an expert advisor toll-free by phone (888.400.5530) or live-chat during our normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-5 p.m. PST). Just visit www.idtheftcenter.org to get started.