Google has taken a significant stride towards enhancing the safety of its platform for searching, reaffirming the organization’s steadfast commitment to providing people with transparency and authority over their web experiences.
Google introduces some significant enhancements to Google Search, designed to empower you with greater control over your personal information, privacy, and online safety.
Outlined below are the key features that have been introduced:
A More Convenient Way to Manage Search Results About You
Last year, we launched the Results About You tool, providing a simple method for you to request the removal of search results containing personal phone numbers, home addresses, or emails. This feature was accessible through the Google app and various other access points to Search. Now, we have made substantial updates and enhancements to this tool, enabling you to easily track your personal contact details in search results. You will also receive alerts whenever these details are identified, allowing you to promptly request their removal.
In the coming days, we will introduce a new dashboard that notifies you if search results containing your contact information appear. From there, you can swiftly request their removal directly through the tool. Additionally, you will receive notifications for any new search results featuring your contact information. This proactive approach aims to provide you with enhanced peace of mind.
To access this tool within the Google app, simply click on your Google account photo and select “Results About You.” Alternatively, you can visit goo.gle/resultsaboutyou. While this feature initially launches in English for users in the U.S., we are actively working to expand its availability to new languages and regions.
Greater Control for Your Family
Earlier this year, we introduced a safeguard to protect you and your family from stumbling upon explicit imagery in search results. With our latest update, explicit content, such as adult or graphically violent material, will now be blurred by default within search results.
The new SafeSearch blurring setting will be rolled out globally to all users this month. You retain the flexibility to adjust this setting or disable it, unless it has been locked by a guardian or a school network administrator.
Moreover, we have enhanced the discoverability of parental controls directly within the Search interface. By entering relevant queries like “google parental controls” or “google family link,” you will be presented with information on managing your parental controls.
Revised Policies Regarding Personal Explicit Images
Our existing policies already empower you to request the removal of non-consensual explicit imagery from search results. Building upon these protections, we now extend the ability to remove personal explicit images from search results that you no longer wish to be visible. For instance, if you created explicit content, uploaded it to a website, and later deleted it, you can now request its removal from search results if it is being published elsewhere without your consent. This policy excludes content that you are currently commercializing.
In a broader sense, whether it pertains to websites containing personal information, explicit content, or any other removal requests, we have refined and simplified the submission forms for your convenience. It is important to note that removing content from Google Search does not eliminate it from the wider web or other search engines. Nevertheless, we believe that these updates grant you enhanced control over the visibility of private information in Google Search.
Recognizing the significance of maintaining control over your online experiences, we present these new tools and updates as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that Google remains the safest means of conducting searches.