Exclusive: ‘Results about you’ lets users view how they appear in search results and request removal of details like phone numbers or addresses
Google has introduced a new tool in Australia that allows users to conveniently locate search results containing their personal information and request its removal.
Dubbed the “results about you” tool, it debuted on Tuesday to coincide with Privacy Awareness Week. This tool enables users to review their appearance in search results and request the removal of results containing personally identifiable information, such as phone numbers, emails, or home addresses, directly through the Google app.
Users can also opt to receive alerts notifying them of new search results containing their personal information.
“We hope that tools like this will assist Australians in enhancing the protection of their information and identity online, aiding individuals in safeguarding themselves against doxing, cyber threats, and financial fraud,” stated Lucinda Longcroft, Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google Australia.
The tool is accessible through a browser using this link or on Google’s mobile app following these instructions.
In a blog post accompanying the announcement, Longcroft mentioned that Google will assess the content of webpages requested for removal “to ensure that we’re not limiting the availability of other information that is broadly useful, for instance in news articles.”
She also noted, “And of course, removing contact information from Google search doesn’t remove it from the web, which is why you may wish to contact the hosting site directly, if you’re comfortable doing so.”
The feature was initially introduced in the US in 2022.
Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the government would introduce legislation to criminalize the release of private information online with the intent to cause harm, a practice known as doxing, as part of a broader reform of the Privacy Act.
Google expressed its support for the government’s initiatives. The company had previously voiced concerns about countries beyond the EU implementing laws similar to the “right to be forgotten,” following unsuccessful challenges to these laws in the EU. Over the past few years, Google has removed over 1 million links after receiving “right to be forgotten” requests.
As part of its response to a review of the Privacy Act, the federal government last year tentatively agreed to a limited right to request a search engine to remove search results containing the person’s name, excluding public reporting.
Keith Enright, Google’s chief privacy officer, told Guardian Australia in June last year that while Google broadly supports the proposed reforms, the company believes search engines should not be singled out.
“We strongly believe that if there is a legal right to remove information from the internet, those requests should be directed to the publishers of that content rather than to search engines because, even if it is removed from a search engine, that content still exists on the internet elsewhere,” he said.
“Therefore, a more effective approach to achieving the public policy objective would be to create that legal obligation for the organization hosting the content.”