Google will now let users request to remove their phone numbers from search results
How internet search like Google works is that it basically scours the entire web for information that you are looking for and then displays that information in its search results. Unfortunately for some people, due to instances of doxxing, personal information about a person might be posted on a website like forums.
As a result, personal information about yourself could be easily found by searching your name on Google. Google already has systems in place that allow users to request the removal of personal information (meaning that it won’t show up in search), but the company has since announced that they will be expanding on this.
Prior to this, Google allowed users to request the removal of sensitive information like bank account or credit card information, but with this expansion, Google will now include the removal of personal contact details like your phone number, email address, or physical addresses. According to Google:
“The availability of personal contact information online can be jarring — and it can be used in harmful ways, including for unwanted direct contact or even physical harm. And people have given us feedback that they would like the ability to remove this type of information from Search in some cases.”
Google also notes that removing it from search doesn’t remove it from the internet and that users should probably contact the website’s owner if they want it taken down, but given that Google is pretty much the default search engine for most users, having it removed from search results is still better than nothing.
Source: Google