Google Provides Expanded Options for Removing PII From Searches

As a supplement to existing policies re PII (personally identifiable information), Google has expanded the types of data that users can request Google to remove from searches. Specifically, you can now request the removal of: 

  • Personal contact information, such as phone number, email or physical addresses 
  • Any additional information which may put you at risk for identity theft

In terms of process, Google states that they will evaluate removal requests. If the requests relate to content that appears as part of government or official sites, it will not be removed. Removal requests will be evaluated by considering the entire web page to ensure they’re not placing restrictions on broadly useful content, such as news articles.

Please be reminded that removing content from searches does not remove it from web pages, rather, it eliminates the information from Google search results, which may make the information harder to discover. To remove your information from a website, contact the site’s webmaster.  

For more information, please see the following Google support article.