4 big changes coming to Google – including removing private info and images from search
Google has announced several key changes to make its search platform safer for users by giving more control to South Africans over what personal information appears in results.
The internet giant said that it is bundling a host of new features that will allow users to remove their personal information from search and tackle explicit material posted without consent.
Here’s a brief overview of the features it is bundling:
Results About You
Google said that it is implementing major updates to this tool, making it easier for users to remove their personal contact information from Search.
The tool will proactively monitor the web for results containing users’ contact information and enable immediate removal requests. Users will also be notified when new results appear containing their contact info.
The Results About You tool allows users to request the removal of search results that contain their personal phone number, home address or email, right from the Google app or however they access Search.
In the coming days, the group will be rolling out a new dashboard that will let users know if web results with their contact information are showing up on Search.
“Then, you can quickly request the removal of those results from Google — right in the tool. We’ll also notify you when new results from the web containing your contact info pop up in Search, to give you added peace of mind,” the group said.
Users will be able to access the tool in the Google app by clicking on their Google account photo and selecting “Results about you”, or by visiting goo.gle/resultsaboutyou.
This tool will be available in the United States in English to start, and other locations and languages will roll out soon, it said.
Personal explicit images – removals policy update
Google said it is expanding removal policies to include more types of personal explicit content that can be requested for removal from Search.
This includes a shift away from a “consent” model.
“We have long had policies that enable you to remove non-consensual explicit imagery from Search. Now, we’re building on these protections to enable people to remove from Search any of their personal, explicit images that they no longer wish to be visible in Search,” the group said.
For example, if a user created and uploaded explicit content to a website, and then deleted it, they can request its removal from Search if it’s being published elsewhere without approval.
This policy doesn’t apply to content users are currently commercializing.
“More broadly, whether it’s for websites containing personal information, explicit imagery or any other removal requests, we’ve updated and simplified the forms you use to submit requests.
“Of course, removing content from Google Search does not remove it from the web or other search engines, but we hope these changes give you more control over private information appearing in Google Search,” it said.
Google said it is also making ranking updates to demote deepfake explicit content in Search and penalise domains with a high density of identified CSAM and/or NCEI.
SafeSearch blurring setting
Google is making the new safe default blurring setting available to all users. This feature was pre-announced as part of Safer Internet Day in February 2023.
Users can adjust their settings and turn it off at any time, unless a guardian or school network administrator has locked the setting.
The new SafeSearch blurring setting is rolling out for all users globally this month.
Parental controls onebox
Google said it will simplify access to parental controls via the Search box.
“When users search for ‘google parental controls’ or ‘google family link’ and related queries, they will see a onebox to manage their parental controls online,” it said.
This feature has already silently launched.
Read: South Africa nails Google for ‘anti-competitive processes’ – demands big changes
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