Feature Google Search knows where you live. Here’s how to claw back some privacy You probably can’t disappear from Google completely, but you can make yourself much harder to find. , PDT Arrest reports, business controversies, lawsuits, public scandals, and interviews or media coverage from legitimate news outlets aren’t likely to be removed. Public records: Court filings, property ownership records, licenses, business registrations, and political donations aren’t likely to be removed by Google directly—you may have better luck asking the original database or website instead. Profiles and content you posted yourself: Most social media pages, company bios, personal websites, and business listings won’t be removed from Google Search—it’s best to delete this yourself if you still have access. Criticism, reviews, and opinions: This is a bit of a gray area, but unless this type of content crosses into any of the policy violations mentioned earlier, you shouldn’t expect Google to remove it. Most negative reviews, blog posts, commentaries, and criticisms about you or your business are considered protected opinion and public discussion, not personal safety violations. How to use Google’s removal tools So let’s say you find your personal information in Google Search and think it may fit into one of the categories that Google is likely to remove, how do you go about requesting a removal? Well, before I go any further I’d advise you to send a removal request to the original website first. Google doesn’t actually own or control the content that appears in its search results. It’s simply indexing webpages that exist elsewhere online. So even if Google removes a result, the original page may still remain live and accessible through a direct link or another search engine. The ideal scenario would be to remove the content from the website itself first, then ask Google to update or remove that information from its search results. Start with the website itself Firstly, if the information appears on a site that you have control over such as a social media profile, personal account, or your own blog post, you should log in immediately and delete that information yourself. If someone else controls the website, look for privacy or removal request links, typically under “Contact” or “About” pages. Alternatively, find a site’s support email address or contact information and contact them directly. For data broker sites, they often have opt-out pages that can be used to send a request. Once the information disappears from the webpage itself, Google will usually...
