Phone numbers and addresses become public on Google? Know the easiest way to remove them

Google: In today’s digital age, more of our personal information is available online than ever before. Phone numbers, email IDs, home addresses and other personal details sometimes become public unknowingly on the internet. The biggest concern is when this information starts appearing directly in Google Search. In such a situation, it may become easy for cyber criminals to commit crimes like spam calls, phishing attacks, identity theft and online fraud. The good thing is that keeping in mind the privacy of the users, Google has provided some such tools with the help of which you can demand to remove your personal information from the search results.

How to find your information on Google?

If you want to know which of your personal information is visible in Google Search, then Google’s Results About You tool can help you. To use this tool, sign in to your Google Account and enter the mobile number, email address, or home address you want to track.

After this you can decide whether Google sends you the notification through email or through Google app notifications. Once setup is complete, Google scans information on the Internet and reports to you on which websites or search results your personal information appears on.

How to remove information from search results

If you find a Google Search result that shows your personal information, you can directly send a request to have it removed. For this, open that search result and click on the three dots visible along with it. Here you will get the option of Remove Result.

After this Google will ask you the reason why you want to remove that link. For example, if it contains your personal information or if that information is out of date, you can send a request by selecting the relevant option. Google takes necessary action after reviewing your request.

What to do if sensitive information is leaked?

If your highly sensitive information such as government identification cards, bank account details, credit card numbers, passwords or medical records is exposed on the Internet, a simple removal request may not be enough. In such a situation, it is better to use Google’s Personal Content Removal support page.

Here you have to choose the right category according to your problem and fill the URL of that webpage and other necessary information and submit the form. After this Google investigates the matter and takes an appropriate decision.

Solution to delete old photos and information

Many times it happens that you have removed your photo or information from a website but it remains visible in Google Search for a long time. This happens because of Google’s cached data. Google’s Remove Outdated Content tool can be used to solve this problem. All you have to do is submit the URL of that page and Google starts the process of removing outdated information from its search index. Similarly, if an old photo is visible in Google Images then removal request can also be sent through its URL.

please understand this

Removing any link or information from Google Search does not mean that that data has been completely erased from the Internet. If that information exists on the original website, to have it removed completely you will need to contact the administrator or owner of that website and request removal of the content.

When you send a removal request to Google, the company sends you a confirmation email. After this, Google’s team reviews the matter and takes a decision keeping in mind both privacy and public interest. Therefore, it is not necessary that every request be accepted. However, you will be informed about the status of your request through notification or email.

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