How to Remove Personal Information from Google Search: A Step-by-Step Guide

From phone numbers and email addresses to more sensitive data like bank account details, an alarming amount of personal information can easily be accessed online. If you’ve ever Googled yourself and found your personal information displayed, you know how unsettling it can be. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to remove this information from Google search results. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of removing your personal information from Google search step by step, incorporating the latest guidelines from Google Support.

Why Remove Personal Information from Google?

Before diving into the removal process, it’s important to understand why you might want to remove your personal information from Google search. Here are some key reasons:

1. Privacy Concerns: Having your personal information easily accessible online can lead to privacy invasions, unwanted contact, or even identity theft.
2. Safety: Publicly available personal information can be used by malicious individuals to harass or stalk you.
3. Professional Image: Personal details found online can impact your professional reputation and opportunities.

Identifying Your Personal Information on Google

The first step in removing your personal information from Google is identifying what information is out there. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Search Your Name: Start by Googling your name. Use variations of your name, including nicknames and common misspellings. Learn about ungoogle yourself.
2. Search Other Personal Details: Search for your phone number, email address, home address, and any other personal details you’re concerned about.
3. Use Different Search Engines: While Google is the most popular search engine, it’s a good idea to check Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines as well.

By conducting these searches, you’ll get a clear picture of what personal information is publicly available online.

Using Google’s Removal Tools

Google provides tools and processes to help users remove personal information from its search results. Follow these steps to request the removal of your personal information:

Step 1: Access Google Search Help

1. Go to Google Search Help: Open your browser and go to the Google Search Help page by searching for “Google search help” and clicking on the first link.
2. Navigate to Request Removals: Scroll down the page and find the “Request removals” section. Expand this section and click on “Report a problem.”

Step 2: Select the Type of Information

1. Choose the Appropriate Category: You’ll see several categories, such as “Content containing nudity or sexual material,” “Personal information,” or “Other information.” Select the category that best matches the information you want to remove. For example, if you’re trying to remove a bank account number, choose “Personal information.”
2. Specify Your Country: Enter your country of residence. This ensures that the form is tailored to your location’s specific regulations and guidelines.

Step 3: Fill Out the Form

1. Enter Specific Details: Provide the exact personal information you want to remove. For instance, if it’s a bank account number, enter the specific number.
2. Provide the URL: Enter the exact URL of the website where the information is found. If possible, upload a screenshot of the information as it appears on the website.
3. Enter Search Terms: Provide the search terms you used to find this information. This helps Google locate the exact search result you’re referring to.

Step 4: Submit the Request

1. Enter Your Contact Information: Provide your full name, contact email address, and country of residence. Indicate whether you’re submitting the request on your behalf or someone else’s.
2. Acknowledge the Terms: Check the acknowledgment box to confirm that you understand the terms and conditions of the removal request.
3. Submit the Form: Click the “Submit” button to send your request to Google.

Tracking Your Request

After submitting your request, you can track its status through the same Google Search Help page. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Approval or Decline: Google will review your request and either approve or decline it. If approved, Google will remove the cached content or personal information from their search results entirely.
2. Email Notification: You’ll receive an email notification once your request has been processed. If your request is declined, the email will provide a brief explanation. You can review the reasons and resubmit your request if necessary.
3. Time Frame: The process can take days or weeks, so patience is essential. During this time, it’s beneficial to check the status of your request periodically.

Contacting the Website Owner

While waiting for Google’s response, it’s a good idea to contact the website owner where your information is posted. Here’s how to do it:

1. Find Contact Information: Look for contact details on the website. This is usually found in the “Contact Us” or “About Us” section.
2. Send a Polite Request: Draft a polite email requesting the removal of your personal information. Include the specific URL and details about the information you want to be removed.
3. Follow Up: If you don’t receive a response within a week, send a follow-up email. Persistence can often help expedite the process.

Using the “Results About You” Tool

Google recently introduced the Results about you tool to help users find and remove their personal contact information from search results more efficiently.

Here’s how to use it:

Step 1: Find Results About You

1. Go to “Results about you” Page:
   • In the Google app: Log in to the Google app, click your Google Account avatar, and select “Results about you.”
   • From mobile web or desktop: Log in to your Google account, click your Google Account avatar, select “Manage your Google Account,” then “Data & privacy.” In the “History settings,” select “My Activity” and then “Other activity.” Scroll down to the “Results about you” section and select “Manage results about you.”
2. Enter Contact Information: Enter your name and the contact info you want to find in search results. Google uses this information to check for search results that show this info. You can also enter nicknames, maiden names, multiple phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.
3. Set Up Notifications: Choose to receive email or push notifications if Google finds results with your contact info.

Step 2: Review Results About You

1. Receive Notifications: If you have notifications on, you’ll get a notification within a few hours if any search results matched your name and personal contact info.
2. View Results: Check your results from the “Results about you” page under the “Results to review” tab. Learn more about each result, such as the website it’s from and the contact info it contains.

Step 3: Request Removal of Results About You

1. Select Results: If you see a result that you’d rather keep private, you can request to remove it from search results.
   • To remove more than one result, select the checkbox next to each result and then “Request to remove.”
   • To remove a single result, select the result to expand and then “Request to remove.”
2. Publicly Valuable Results: Note that Google considers some results valuable to the public, such as those from government or educational websites, online newspapers, or business websites. In these cases, you won’t find a “Remove result” option.
3. Confirm and Monitor Requests: You’ll get an email confirmation for your removal request and status updates. Check the status of your requests anytime from “Results about you” under “Removal requests.”

Remove Results Using Google Search

Step 1: Report URLs on Google Search

1. Log In: On desktop or mobile, log in with your Google Account. You’ll get updates on the status of your requests through the email address associated with your account.
2. Search Your Name: To find results that show your personal contact info, search for your name and your home city or address.
3. Report URL: To reach the “About this result” panel, click “More,” then select “Remove result” and then “It shows my personal contact info.”
4. Submit Request: Go through the reporting flow and submit your request. Select “I’m done” after submission.

Step 2: Check for Email Confirmation

1. Email Confirmation: Within the next few hours, you’ll receive an email confirmation that your request was submitted.

Step 3: Monitor Request Status

1. Check Status: In the “Results about you” page, you can check if your request is in progress, approved, denied, or undone. Review details like the link to the page you flagged, submission day and time, request ID, and contact info you flagged on the page.

Policy Requirements for Removal Requests

After you submit a request, Google will review it to make sure it meets policy requirements for removal. Requests must meet the following policy requirements:

1. Personal Info: The contact info displayed on the result has to be your personal info. To request to remove professional info that’s been posted with the intent to harm you, use the detailed removal request form.
2. Not Self-Controlled: You don’t control the info yourself. This means contact info that you can remove from the internet yourself, like info on a social media page or a personal blog that you own.
3. Public Value: As Google Search seeks to provide users with useful info, it won’t remove info that’s valuable to the public. For example, Google won’t remove results for web pages that are owned by educational or government institutions or newspapers.

Preventing Future Information Leaks

To ensure your personal information remains private, consider taking the following steps:

1. Adjust Privacy Settings: Review the privacy settings on your social media accounts and other online platforms. Make sure your personal information is only visible to trusted contacts.
2. Opt-Out of Data Brokers: Data brokers collect and sell personal information. Use opt-out services to remove your information from these databases. Here’s a list of major data brokers and their opt-out pages.
3. Monitor Your Online Presence: Regularly search for your name and personal details online. Set up Google Alerts to receive notifications whenever new information about you appears online.
4. Use a Privacy Service: Consider using a privacy service that helps you monitor and remove personal information from the web. Internet privacy and removal services like RemoveOnlineInformation.com, DeleteMe and ReputationDefender offer comprehensive solutions.

Legal Options

In some cases, you may need to take legal action to remove personal information from the internet. Here are some legal options to consider:

1. Cease and Desist Letter: A cease and desist letter is a formal request to stop the distribution of your personal information. Consult with an attorney to draft this letter.
2. DMCA Takedown Notice: If your personal information is posted without your consent, you can file a DMCA takedown notice to have it removed. This is particularly effective for copyrighted content.
3. Lawsuits: In extreme cases, you may need to file a lawsuit to remove personal information. This can be a lengthy and expensive process, so it’s usually a last resort.

Additional Steps from Google Support

According to the latest guidelines from Google Support, here are additional steps you can take:

1. Request Removal of Information on Sites with Exploitative Removal Practices: If you encounter sites that charge for content removal, Google provides a form to report and request the removal of such content from search results.
2. Remove Content from Google Search for Legal Reasons: Google offers a separate form for requesting the removal of content that violates the law. This includes cases like doxxing, explicit content posted without consent, and other illegal activities.

Final Takeaway

Removing personal information from Google search results can be a daunting task, but it’s crucial for protecting your privacy and security. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can take control of your online presence and ensure your personal information is kept private. Remember to be patient and persistent, as the process can take some time. Additionally, take proactive steps to prevent future information leaks by adjusting your privacy settings and monitoring your online presence.

For more detailed guidance on online privacy and reputation management, visit our comprehensive guide on RemoveOnlineInformation.com.

References

• A Guide to Ungoogle Yourself. Google Reputation Manager.
• Personal Content and Product Policies, and Removal Requirements. Google Search Help.
• Data Brokers and Your Privacy. PrivacyRights.org
• How can I file a DMCA Takedown Notice. DMCA.com
• Find and remove personal contact info in Google Search results. Google Search Help.