Often criticized for its somewhat too lax management of personal data, Google is seeking to restore its image. The search giant has launched the deployment of a tool supposed to simplify the de-indexing of content revealing personal information such as a user’s address, telephone number or email address.
Three clicks to be forgotten
As noted by the 9to5Google site, a new section has appeared among some users within the Google application. Named “Results about you“, this sub-menu explains how to request the de-indexing of certain content from Google and the status of your current requests. Announced last May during the Google I/O, this functionality is in the same vein as that implemented place years ago to respect the “right to be forgotten” enshrined in French law.
Google’s new tool, on the other hand, is much easier to use than the one introduced in 2014. If you notice during a search that a web page lists personal and private information, just click on the three small dots next to the result and ask to “delete this result”. After indicating what kind of information this page contains and why it is better to remove it from Google results, a company team will analyze the request and decide whether or not to remove this result from the search engine.
Google wants to avoid doxxing
Google specifies that for each request, the company will evaluate “all the content of the web page“to make sure she doesn’t”[limite] not the availability of other widely useful information, for example in news articles.“The idea is therefore to protect personal information, not to make information of public interest disappear. The tool is particularly designed to protect possible victims of doxxingpreventing personal information from being just a click away.
The feature isn’t widely rolled out yet, but it should be in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if a web page lists personal information with the aim of harming you, you can request its removal via a dedicated page on Google.