Google Now Taking User Requests to Remove Phone Number, Addresses From Search Results

Google said the expansion of its removal policies globally followed growing demand from users.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 28 April 2022 10:54 IST
Highlights
  • Until now, Google would only accept requests to remove webpages
  • It received tens of thousands of requests annually
  • The company said it typically processes requests within a few days
Google Now Taking User Requests to Remove Phone Number, Addresses From Search Results

Google would aim to preserve availability of data in the public interest

Alphabet's Google has begun entertaining people's requests to remove search results containing their home addresses, phone numbers, and email accounts, the latest shift in its stance between personal privacy and access to information.

The world's most used Internet search tool said on Wednesday that the expansion of its removal policies globally followed growing demand from users and evolving norms about the threat posed by easy access to contact details.

"Research has told us there's a larger amount of personally identifiable information that users consider as sensitive," Michelle Chang, global policy lead for Google search, said in an exclusive interview. "They are increasingly unwilling to tolerate this content online."

Until now, Google would only accept requests to remove webpages that shared contact info alongside some sort of threat or required payment for removal. It also has stripped links to bank account and credit card numbers and medical records.

Advertisement

It received tens of thousands of requests annually in recent years, approving about 13 percent of them. Chang said she expected the approval rate to grow under the expanded rules, which also allow for removing links to confidential log-in credentials.

Older Google policies enable requesting takedowns of results directing to unwanted pornography and, in Europe, "inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive" personal information. Last year, Google began allowing removal of photos of minors.

Advertisement

Chang said in weighing requests under the contact information policy, Google would aim to preserve availability of data in the public interest. It also will not remove information that "appears as part of the public record on the sites of government or official sources."

The company said it typically processes requests within a few days.

Advertisement

Webpages Google drops can still be accessed through other search engines or directly, and Chang said users are encouraged to contact publishers to address "the root of the issue."


Are affordable smartwatches worth it? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Alphabet, Google
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. OnePlus 13s Price in India Leaked Ahead of Launch on June 5
  2. Vivo S30, Vivo S30 Pro Mini Launched With 50-Megapixel Selfie Camera
  3. Realme Neo 7 Turbo With 7,200mAh Battery Goes Official; All Specifications
  4. iPhone 17 Pro Max Design, Thicker Chassis Seen in Leaked Hands On Video
  1. MIT Study Reveals Why Roman Concrete Lasts Thousands of Years
  2. New Study Confirms Venus Is Still Geologically Active
  3. New Analysis Weakens Claims of Life on Distant Exoplanet K2-18b
  4. Viking Trade Routes More Expansive Than Thought, Finds Swedish Archaeologist After 5000 km Expedition
  5. China Launches AI-Powered Satellite Constellation to Build Space Supercomputer
  6. China and Russia Sign Deal to Build Lunar Nuclear Power Plant by 2036
  7. Starship Flight 8 Explosion Traced to ‘Flash’ in Rocket Engines, SpaceX Investigation Confirms
  8. 800-Year-Old Mummy Reveals Unusual Facial Tattoos Made from Rare Minerals
  9. SpaceX Cleared for Starship Flight 9 Launch After FAA Safety Review
  10. Vivo S30, Vivo S30 Pro Mini Launched With 6,500mAh Battery, 50-Megapixel Selfie Camera: Price, Specifications
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.