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Google has expanded its policies to allow victims of doxxing to remove more of their personally identifiable information (PII) from search engine results starting earlier this week.
The removal of doxxing content (contact information shared online with malicious intent) is intended to protect the privacy of victims and the substantial risks of identity theft, financial fraud and, in some cases, the potential for physical harm.
While people already had the option to request the deletion of personal data that could be used in financial fraud, such as credit card and bank account information, prior to this update, Google now also allows you to request the deletion of contact information.
“Under this new policy expansion, people can now request removal of additional types of information when they find it in search results, including personal contact information such as a phone number, email address, or home address.” physical,” said Michelle Chang, Google’s global policy lead. to search.
“The policy also allows for the removal of additional information that may pose an identity theft risk, such as sensitive login credentials, when it appears in search results.”
In total, the company says it will allow the removal of the following types of information:
- Confidential government identification (ID) numbers
- bank account numbers
- credit card numbers
- handwritten signature images
- images of identity documents
- Highly personal, restricted, and official records, such as medical records
- Personal contact information (physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses)
- Sensitive login credentials
However, for this to happen, Google adds that it requires URLs submitted through content removal requests to contain your contact information.
Additionally, Google will only consider requests if it finds the presence of “explicit or implicit threats, or explicit or implicit calls to action for others to harm or harass.”
Victims of doxxing or their authorized representatives can submit requests to remove personal information from Google search results through this link.
Once complete, you will receive an automatic confirmation and notification of any action taken or a request for more information if there is not enough information to assess the deletion request.
You can find more information about the process, including the factors considered in evaluating each request and which URLs to submit for review, on this help page.
“The availability of personal contact information online can be jarring, and it can be used in harmful ways, including for direct unwanted contact or even physical harm,” Chang added.
“And people have told us that they would like the ability to remove this type of information from Search in some cases.”
In October, Google also implemented a new policy that allows people under the age of 18 (or a parent or guardian) to request the removal of links in Google Search results that point to sites that host their photos.
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