How to Check and Remove Leaked Personal Data on the Internet with Google
Personal data is extremely valuable and sensitive to everyone, but there are instances when our personal information can leak onto the internet without our knowledge. This poses a significant risk, as it can be exploited by unscrupulous parties.
To address this concern, Google has introduced a new feature designed to help users identify and remove their leaked personal data from the internet. This feature, known as 'Results About You,' can be accessed through the Google dashboard on both mobile devices and web browsers.
What is 'Results About You'?
The 'Results About You' feature allows users to input personal data such as home addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses into a designated menu. Subsequently, this feature displays all websites that contain this specific personal data. This enables users to check if there are websites that shouldn't have their personal information. If such sites exist, users can request Google to remove those pages from search results.
Furthermore, this feature provides notifications or alerts if a user's personal data reappears in Google search results. This continuous monitoring ensures that users can protect their personal data from leaks effectively.
How to Use 'Results About You'?
To utilize the 'Results About You' feature, follow these steps:
1. Open the Google dashboard on your mobile device or web browser.
2. Select the 'Results About You' option.
3. Input the personal data you want to check into the provided field.
4. Wait for the feature to display all sites containing that personal data.
5. Review and evaluate these sites to determine whether they should be removed from search results.
6. If necessary, click the 'remove page from search results' button to request the removal of that page from Google Search.
7. Activate the 'notify me if this information appears in search results again' option to receive notifications if your personal data reappears in Google search results.
Considerations When Using 'Results About You'
While the 'Results About You' feature is a valuable tool for safeguarding personal data, there are several important considerations to bear in mind:
- This feature can only remove pages from Google search results, not from their original websites. This means that your personal data may still exist on those websites and could potentially be accessed by others. Therefore, it's advisable to contact the website owner to request the permanent removal of your personal data.
- This feature cannot remove pages from search results if the personal data is displayed on official government or educational institution websites. Google considers such data to be public and essential for societal knowledge.
- Currently, 'Results About You' is available only in English and exclusively for Google users in the United States. However, Google has pledged to expand language options and support for other countries soon.
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