How Google's Upgraded Safety Tools Are Changing Personal Data Protection

Your name, address, phone number, and worse things about you are probably floating around on the internet right now. You didn't put them there. Some data broker did. Or a sketchy website with outdated info. Or someone you never wanted sharing your stuff in the first place.

Google knows this is a problem. It's been a problem for years. And while the search giant can't actually delete content from the web, it can do something almost as powerful: remove it from search results.

That's where the Results About You tool comes in. And this week, Google gave it a serious upgrade.

The tool now hunts for and removes highly sensitive information like your driver's license number, passport ID, and Social Security number from Google Search. It's faster. It's smarter. It monitors continuously. And it's worth understanding if you care about your privacy at all.

Here's what changed, why it matters, and how to actually use it without handing Google everything about yourself.

What Is the Results About You Tool?

Let's start with the basics. The Results About You tool is Google's answer to a fundamental privacy problem: you can't control what the internet says about you.

Other people post your information. Websites scrape your data. Data brokers collect and republish everything they find. Within minutes, something private becomes public. Within hours, it's indexed by search engines. Within days, it's embedded in dozens of websites you'll never visit.

The old approach was to contact each website individually and ask them to delete your information. This works about as well as you'd expect. Most don't respond. Some charge money. Some claim they have no responsibility. You're stuck.

Google's Results About You tool approaches this differently. Instead of trying to delete content from the internet, it removes links to that content from Google Search results. If Google can't find it in search, most people won't find it either.

Technically, the information is still out there. Some determined person could still locate it. But for the average internet user searching for you, the information might as well be deleted. That's the practical reality.

The tool has been around for a few years, but it was limited. You could report contact information like phone numbers and addresses. You could request removal of non-consensual intimate images. That's it.

Now it does much more.

Identity theft scores highest on impact due to its prevalence and financial harm, followed by non-consensual imagery due to psychological and reputational damage. Continuous monitoring is crucial for ongoing privacy protection. (Estimated data)

The New ID Number Detection Feature

This is the big headline. As of today, the Results About You tool can detect and remove government-issued ID numbers from search results.

We're talking about the really sensitive stuff:

• Driver's license numbers
• Passport numbers
• Social Security numbers
• National identification numbers (varies by country)

This is powerful because these are the numbers criminals actually want. A scammer with your SSN can open credit accounts. Someone with your passport number can apply for loans. Your driver's license number enables identity theft when combined with other data points.

Google didn't invent some magic way to know your ID numbers. It can't read your mind. Instead, you tell Google what numbers to look for.

That's the uncomfortable part. You have to give Google your sensitive information so Google can search the internet for instances of that sensitive information.

Google understands the creepiness factor. So it made some choices about what it asks for.

For your driver's license number, Google asks for the full number. Your driver's license isn't quite as sensitive as some other IDs because it's more commonly used and seen in legitimate contexts. Insurance companies, TSA agents, bartenders—they all see your license number regularly.

For your Social Security number and passport, Google only asks for the last four digits. This is the key insight. Google only needs the last four digits to find the full numbers on the internet. It's the equivalent of asking for your "signature" rather than your full identity. You provide minimal information, Google finds and removes all instances.

Technically, you enable this in the Results About You settings. You click into the ID numbers section. You type in what you want to search for. Google starts scanning.

The process isn't instant. Google doesn't immediately search the entire internet and return results. Instead, it "intermittently scans" for the information. This means it checks periodically over time, looking for new instances of your data.

When Google finds matches, it emails you alerts. You can then review what was found and decide whether to request removal.

Google's privacy tool is free and easy to use but requires sharing sensitive data. OneRep and Incogni offer proactive removal at a cost. Direct contact is free but time-intensive. Credit freeze is free and effective for identity protection. Estimated data.

The Non-Consensual Explicit Imagery Tool Gets an Upgrade

The Results About You tool is only half the story. Google also upgraded its Non-Consensual Explicit Imagery (NCEI) tool.

This tool addresses a different but equally serious problem: sexual imagery posted without consent.

Ten years ago, this was mostly revenge porn. Someone's ex posts intimate photos. It's devastating. It's violating. But the scale was limited by human effort. You need to find the images, host them, maintain them.

AI changed everything. Now someone can generate entirely fake explicit images of you in seconds. Deepfakes of celebrities are already everywhere. Deepfakes of regular people follow. You don't need to exist in those images. AI can make them anyway.

Google's NCEI tool has existed to help remove these images from search. But the process was clunky. Now it's faster and more flexible.

The first change is accessibility. You can now access the tool directly from Google Images. See an explicit image of yourself in image search results? Three-dot menu. Select "Remove result." Choose "It shows a sexual image of me." You're in the removal process. No need to navigate to some buried settings page.

The second change is batch processing. Before, if someone was using AI to generate dozens of explicit images of you, you had to report them one at a time. Now you can add multiple images to a single removal request.

This matters because AI has enabled mass production of this content. A single prompt can generate ten variations. Run it again and get ten more. Someone with bad intentions can create hundreds of fake explicit images in an afternoon. Being able to report them in batches instead of individually saves significant time.

Google also added a distinction between real images and artificial ones. When you report an image, Google asks: is this a real photo or a deepfake? This helps Google understand the nature of the content and handle it appropriately.

The NCEI tool can now also monitor for new instances. Enable alerts and Google will watch for new instances of the images you've reported. If it finds them, Google will "proactively filter them out" from search results.

This monitoring gets integrated into the Results About You hub. You can see how frequently the imagery appears, track new instances, and manage everything in one place.

How the Monitoring System Actually Works

The upgrade introduces a new concept: continuous monitoring. This is important because the internet constantly changes.

Content gets reposted. Images get shared to new sites. Your personal information appears in new places every day. A one-time scan is useless. You need ongoing monitoring.

Here's how it works in practice.

You enable monitoring in Results About You for your ID numbers. You tell Google your SSN (last four digits), your passport (last four digits), your driver's license (full number).

Google's system starts checking. It's not continuous in real-time. Rather, it periodically scans the internet looking for instances. Think of it like a background job that runs at intervals.

When Google finds matches, it logs them. It sends you an email alert. The alert tells you where the information was found, what site had it, and what context it appeared in.

You then decide what to do. In many cases, the removal is justified. The site illegally posted your information. Google will request removal from the search index. If the site complies, the link disappears from Google Search.

The same process applies to the NCEI tool. Upload images you want monitored. Google watches for them. New instances get flagged. You approve removals.

The key limitation: Google Search removal is not the same as internet deletion. The information still exists on the original site. Google just stops linking to it. For most people, this is functionally equivalent to deletion. You're not Googling for your own information. You probably never will be. For you, the information being unsearchable is the same as gone.

For bad actors with specific intentions, they could potentially still find the information through other search engines or direct site browsing. But Google is where most people search. Removing something from Google removes it from the practical reality of most people's experience.

Google's privacy tools offer comprehensive features for removing personal information, with the NCEI tool and contact info removal being the most robust. Estimated data based on feature descriptions.

Why This Upgrade Matters for Your Privacy

This isn't trivial. This addresses real harms that happen to real people.

Identity theft is a massive problem. The Federal Trade Commission received over 2.6 million fraud reports in 2023, with identity theft accounting for the largest category. Criminals need information to steal identities. Your SSN, combined with other data points, is a starting point.

By removing SSNs from the searchable index, Google reduces the surface area. A criminal still needs to find your information somewhere, but it's now harder. They can't just Google your name and get lucky.

Non-consensual imagery is worse in some ways. It's not just financial harm. It's psychological harm. It's reputation harm. It's violation. And it's increasingly common. A 2021 Pew Research Center study found that roughly one-in-four American women ages 18-34 have had an intimate image of theirs shared without permission. That number is climbing as AI makes generating and modifying images trivial.

Google's tool doesn't solve the core problem. The real solution is cultural change, better AI regulation, and better platform accountability. But within the limits of what Google Search can do, removing these images from the index is protective.

The continuous monitoring feature is also crucial. Privacy isn't something you set once and forget. It's ongoing maintenance. Your information surfaces in new places constantly. Having Google watch for it and alert you is actually useful.

For comparison, without this tool, you'd have to regularly search Google for your own name and address and SSN, hoping to catch harmful results. That's not realistic. Most people won't do this. Google doing it automatically is far better.

How to Actually Use Results About You Safely

Let's talk implementation. You want to use this tool, but you don't want to hand Google a complete dossier on yourself.

Here's the thing: you need to provide information to Google for it to search for it. That's unavoidable. But you can minimize what you provide and understand what you're trading.

First, you need a Google account. Go to myactivity.google.com or search for "Results About You" in Google Search. The tool is baked into Google Search itself.

Once you access it, you see sections for different types of information. Contact information. ID numbers. Now the explicit imagery option.

Start with what's most sensitive. Your Social Security number matters most. You only need to provide the last four digits. Google's index is sophisticated enough to find full numbers when it has four digits to start with.

For driver's license, Google asks for the full number. This is less ideal, but your driver's license is less useful for identity theft than your SSN.

Before you add any information, read Google's privacy policy for this specific tool. Understand what Google does with the information you provide. Google says it doesn't use this information for advertising or other purposes. Theoretically, Google can't do much with four digits of your SSN anyway.

Enable monitoring once you've added information. This automates the ongoing process. Without monitoring, you'd need to manually check periodically.

The tool handles everything else. It searches. It finds. It sends alerts. You review and approve removals.

One important note: Results About You handles Google Search results. It doesn't handle Google Images separately, though images can appear in Google Search. For explicit imagery specifically, use the NCEI tool, which has better handling for that specific content type.

Estimated data shows a steady increase in both privacy concerns and regulatory actions from 2021 to 2025, reflecting growing public awareness and legislative focus.

The Limitations of Search Result Removal

Let's be clear about what this tool doesn't do.

It doesn't delete content from the internet. The information still exists on whatever site originally hosted it. Google just stops linking to it.

It doesn't work immediately. Scans are periodic. Processing times vary. You won't see results today if you add information today.

It doesn't prevent future posting. If someone posts your SSN tomorrow, Google will eventually find it and alert you. But there's a lag time between posting and discovery.

It doesn't prevent other search engines. Google Search removal is just Google. Bing still indexes content. Yahoo uses Bing's index. Duck Duck Go indexes the open web. Your information might still appear in other search engines.

It doesn't work for everything. If information appears in Google's news index, image results, or other specialized sections, the handling might differ.

Most critically, it requires you to know what you're looking for. If your information appears under a variant of your name, a nickname, or misspelled versions, you might miss it. The tool can only search for what you tell it to search for.

Despite these limitations, it's still valuable. Google Search is where most people start. Removing something from Google removes it from the path of most people's experience.

Different Types of Personal Information and Removal Strategies

Not all personal information is equally sensitive. Not all should be removed from search results. You need a strategy.

Start with the most sensitive. Social Security numbers should never appear in search results. These are government-issued identifiers that enable serious identity theft. If your SSN appears anywhere searchable, you should request removal. There's no legitimate reason someone should find your SSN through Google Search.

Driver's license numbers come next. These are useful for certain frauds and identity crimes. They're also more commonly visible in legitimate contexts (TSA checks, bank verification, etc.), so you might not want to remove every instance. But if your license appears on some random website describing you, removal is justified.

Passport numbers follow similar logic. These are travel documents. They're useful for fraud. They shouldn't be searchable.

Home addresses are more nuanced. Your address is probably already public in some form. Depending on your state, property records are public. But you don't want your address prominently appearing in Google Search results for your name. Address removal is usually worthwhile, though it's slower and more cumbersome than the Results About You tool.

Phone numbers are similarly mixed. Your phone number might be listed in legitimate contexts. But if it's appearing on data broker sites or sketchy websites, removal is justified.

For explicit imagery, the removal is almost always justified. Consent is the fundamental issue. If you didn't consent to the image existing, you shouldn't consent to it being searchable.

The monitoring feature changes the calculus for all of these. Once you set up monitoring, you're periodically checking what appears. You're getting alerts. You're staying aware. This reduces the passive harm. You're not blindsided by discovering your SSN has been searchable for two years. You find out relatively quickly and request removal.

The Results About You tool initially allowed removal of contact information and non-consensual images. The current version has expanded to include more types of content. (Estimated data)

Beyond Google's Tools: Additional Privacy Steps

Results About You is useful, but it's not a complete privacy solution. You need a broader approach.

Start with data brokers. These are companies that collect and sell information about you. Remove yourself from them and less information is available to post online. Services like Opt Out or Just Delete Me can help with this.

Monitor your credit. The big three credit bureaus let you check your report free once a year. Use this. Look for accounts you didn't open. Unauthorized inquiries. Strange activity. This is your early warning system for identity theft.

Consider a credit freeze. This prevents new credit accounts from being opened in your name without your explicit consent. It's free through the credit bureaus and actually quite effective.

Use unique passwords. Password reuse is how data from one breach becomes access to multiple accounts. Use a password manager. Store unique, complex passwords. This reduces your exposure if one site gets breached.

Enable two-factor authentication. Passwords are easy to crack or guess. Two-factor authentication means hackers need more than just your password to access accounts. Enable it everywhere it's available.

Regularly search for yourself. The Results About You tool automates this, but you should also do manual checks. Search your name. Search your address. Search your email. See what comes up.

Be mindful of what you post. Every data point you publish is information that could later be used against you or appear alongside other data in surprising ways.

Use privacy settings on social media. Most platforms let you limit who can see your information. Most people never change the defaults. Spend an hour going through your privacy settings on each platform you use.

Real-World Scenarios: When This Tool Saves You

Let's talk about actual situations where Google's upgraded tools matter.

Scenario one: You're job hunting. You do a social media search for a new application. Some hiring manager Googles your name. Old links appear. An old roommate's blog mentioning you. A data broker site listing your address and phone number. None of this helps your case. Results About You lets you request removal of the data broker information. Cleaner search results. Better first impression.

Scenario two: You're stalked. Someone knows your routine. Your address. Your work location. You discover your address is appearing in search results linked to a data broker. You can't delete it everywhere, but you can remove it from Google. Your stalker can't just Google you and find where you live.

Scenario three: Your ex posts intimate photos of you online. Years later, the photos still appear in search results when people Google you. The NCEI tool lets you request removal from Google Search. The photos still exist somewhere on the internet, but the most common entry point—Google Image Search—no longer shows them.

Scenario four: Identity theft attempts. You discover someone opened a credit card in your name. You're investigating. You realize your SSN appears on a random website—probably from a database breach at some company. You use Results About You to remove it from Google Search. This doesn't undo the identity theft, but it prevents the next person from stumbling on your SSN through a casual search.

Scenario five: You're building a business or personal brand. You want to control your online narrative. You request removal of negative information or embarrassing old pages from Google Search. You're shaping what people see when they search for you.

In all these scenarios, the tool doesn't solve the underlying problem. It doesn't delete information. But it removes it from the most common discovery path. For many people, that's enough.

The upgraded NCEI tool significantly enhances accessibility, allows batch processing, and distinguishes between real and deepfake images, improving user experience and effectiveness. Estimated data based on feature descriptions.

The Privacy Implications of Giving Google Your Data

Here's the uncomfortable flip side. To use this tool, you give Google even more information about yourself.

Google already knows a lot. Your searches. Your location. Your Gmail. Your browsing habits. Your You Tube history. Your calendar. Your documents. The company has probably more data about you than you have about yourself.

Now you're adding: your Social Security number (or the last four digits), your passport number (or the last four digits), your driver's license number.

Google claims this information is used only for searching. Google says it doesn't use this information for advertising targeting. Google says it's kept separate from your general Google account data.

Take Google at its word or don't. But understand the tradeoff. You're trading a piece of highly sensitive information for the benefit of having that information removed from search results.

For most people, the tradeoff makes sense. Your SSN in Google's confidential database, monitored automatically for search appearances, is probably safer than your SSN scattered across dozens of data broker sites appearing in Google Search.

But it's not risk-free. If Google's systems are breached, your data is exposed. If Google changes its policies, your data could be used differently. If governments force Google to disclose this information, you're vulnerable. These are low-probability scenarios, but non-zero.

The solution is informed consent. You go in with open eyes. You understand what you're providing and what you're getting. You decide if it's worthwhile.

Comparing Google's Approach to Other Privacy Tools

Google isn't the only player in this space. Other companies offer privacy monitoring and data removal services.

Privacy services like One Rep or Incogni work differently. Instead of you telling them what to search for, they proactively scan for any information about you on data broker sites and request removal. You don't give them your sensitive data. Instead, you trust them to find and remove information automatically.

These services cost money. One Rep charges around $120-240 per year depending on the tier. Incogni is similar. You're paying for their ongoing work of finding and removing your information.

Google's tool is free. You do the work of telling it what to search for. Google does the searching and monitoring. The tradeoff is privacy—you give Google sensitive data to search for.

Direct contact methods exist too. You can contact data brokers directly and request removal. This is free but time-consuming. Each data broker has different removal processes. Some are easier than others. Many require you to prove your identity.

Credit freeze services from the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Trans Union) are free and quite effective for preventing new credit accounts from being opened in your name. This is probably more important than search result removal for identity theft prevention.

Google's approach sits in the middle. It's free. It's more targeted than blanket data broker removal services. It's automated compared to direct contact. But it requires you to provide sensitive information.

Most people probably benefit from a combination. Use Google's tool for SSN and ID number monitoring. Use a credit freeze for account-level protection. Periodically remove yourself from data brokers. Maintain good password hygiene and two-factor authentication.

The Broader Context of Privacy in 2025

Why is Google adding these features now? Why is this a priority?

Because privacy is becoming a larger issue. Data breaches are more common. AI makes generating fake sensitive content trivial. Digital stalking is real and growing. Identity theft is epidemic.

Regulators are also pushing. The EU's GDPR has been around for years. The UK has GDPR equivalents. California's CCPA established privacy rights. Other states followed. The internet's regulatory environment is shifting toward privacy.

Google removing personal data from search results isn't the company being altruistic. It's partly preemptive compliance. If Google doesn't help people remove their data from search, regulators will eventually force the company to do so.

But it's also response to genuine demand. Privacy is becoming a consumer concern. People care about what shows up when someone Googles them. Tools that address this concern are valuable.

The non-consensual imagery tool is similar. There's genuine harm. Regulators are watching. Platforms are facing pressure to take responsibility. Google adding tools to remove explicit images from search is partially defensive, partially responsive to real need.

Moving forward, expect more of these tools. Expect more companies to offer similar features. Expect the conversation around digital privacy and data removal to grow.

Expect some friction too. Privacy advocates will argue these tools don't go far enough. They don't actually delete content. They don't prevent collection. They just make data less visible. That's all true. But less visible is still better than highly visible.

Practical Steps to Get Started Today

Ready to use these tools? Here's what to do.

First, go to Google Search and type "Results About You." Click the official result. This takes you to the tool.

You might need to sign in to your Google account. That's required.

Once inside, you see sections for different information types. Start with ID numbers if you want to enable SSN monitoring. Google will ask you to input the last four digits of your SSN. Type them in. Enable the search.

Do the same for passport and driver's license if desired. Start with SSN—that's the most critical.

Enable monitoring. This is usually a checkbox. Once enabled, Google starts intermittent scanning.

For explicit imagery, go to Google Images. Search for yourself if you want to check for existing issues. If you find explicit imagery, use the three-dot menu and start the removal process.

Enable NCEI monitoring if you want Google to watch for new instances of explicit content.

Set a calendar reminder to check your Results About You dashboard monthly. Review any alerts. Approve removals as appropriate.

That's the basic setup. From there, it's maintenance. The tool handles the heavy lifting. You review and approve.

Looking Ahead: What's Next for Privacy Tools

Google isn't stopping here. The company is investing heavily in privacy features.

Expect better integration of privacy tools across Google services. Expect the company to expand what can be monitored and removed. Expect faster processing and more granular controls.

Expect other search engines to follow. If Google offers these features, competitors need to offer something similar or risk being perceived as less privacy-friendly.

Expect legislation to drive additional changes. As regulators pay more attention to search-based harassment and privacy, search engines will face new requirements.

Expect AI to play a growing role. AI can better understand context, better identify sensitive information, better distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate uses of personal data.

The goal shouldn't be impossible—removing all information about you from the internet. That's neither feasible nor desirable. Some information should be public (your professional accomplishments, your published work, your public statements).

The goal should be reasonable: removing information posted without your consent, removing sensitive identifiers that enable fraud, removing explicit imagery. Google's upgraded tools move in that direction.

They're not perfect. They don't solve privacy. But they're useful and getting better.

FAQ

What information can the Results About You tool remove?

The Results About You tool can remove contact information like phone numbers and addresses, government-issued ID numbers including Social Security numbers, passport numbers, and driver's license numbers, as well as non-consensual explicit imagery. The tool searches Google Search results and requests removal of pages containing this information. However, the tool cannot actually delete content from the original websites—it only removes them from Google's search index.

How do I enable ID number monitoring in Google's Results About You tool?

To enable ID number monitoring, visit the Results About You tool through Google Search, sign into your Google account, and navigate to the ID numbers section. For your Social Security number and passport, you only need to provide the last four digits. For your driver's license, Google asks for the full number. Once you input this information, enable monitoring and Google will periodically scan the internet for instances of these numbers appearing in search results.

What is the Non-Consensual Explicit Imagery tool and how do I use it?

The NCEI tool helps remove explicit images of you from Google Search results, including both real intimate photos shared without consent and deepfakes or artificially generated sexual imagery. You can access it directly from Google Images by clicking the three-dot menu on any image and selecting "Remove result," then "It shows a sexual image of me." The updated tool now allows batch reporting of multiple images and continuous monitoring for new instances.

How long does it take for Google to remove personal information from search results?

Google doesn't remove information instantly. The Results About You tool performs intermittent scans over time rather than immediate searches. After finding matches, Google sends you email alerts. You can then review the results and request removal. Processing times vary depending on the website and Google's crawl schedule. Continuous monitoring means you'll be alerted to new instances as they appear, but there's always a lag between initial posting and discovery.

Will removing information from Google Search actually delete it from the internet?

No, removing information from Google Search only removes it from Google's search index. The information still exists on the original website. However, for practical purposes, this is often equivalent to deletion since Google Search is where most people discover information. Removing something from Google removes it from the path of most people's experience, even though technically it remains on the original source website.

Is it safe to give Google my Social Security number information for this tool?

Google's system is designed with security in mind. You only provide the last four digits of your SSN, not the full number. Google states that this information is used only for searching and is not used for advertising or other purposes. However, you're still trusting Google with sensitive data. Consider whether the benefit of automatic monitoring outweighs the risk of providing this information to a large corporation. Most security experts suggest that automatic monitoring through Results About You is safer than having your full SSN scattered across numerous data broker websites.

What should I do if Results About You finds my personal information in search results?

When Results About You finds your information, Google sends you an email alert. The alert includes details about where the information was found and what website hosted it. You can then review the specific result and decide whether to request removal. In most cases, if your sensitive information appears without your consent, removal is justified. Approve the removal request and Google will work with the website to remove the link from its search index.

How does Results About You's monitoring feature work?

Once you enable monitoring in Results About You, Google's system periodically scans the internet for instances of the information you specified. These scans aren't continuous or real-time—they happen at intervals over time. When Google finds new instances of your SSN, ID numbers, or explicit imagery (if monitoring that), it sends you email alerts. This automated approach saves you from having to manually search for your own information regularly.

Can I use Results About You to remove information from search engines other than Google?

No, Results About You only works with Google Search. Your information might still appear in other search engines like Bing, Duck Duck Go, or Yahoo. However, Google Search captures the majority of web searches, so removing information from Google has the most significant impact on discoverability. To address other search engines, you may need to contact those companies separately or use third-party privacy removal services that work across multiple platforms.

What's the difference between Results About You and data broker removal services?

Results About You is Google's free tool that requires you to specify what information you want removed (your SSN, address, etc.). You provide the information and Google searches for it. Data broker removal services like One Rep or Incogni cost money but work differently—they proactively scan data broker sites for any information about you and request removal without requiring you to specify what to look for. Google's approach is free but requires more manual input; paid services are more automated but require ongoing payments.

Conclusion

Google's upgraded safety tools represent a meaningful step toward helping people reclaim control over their online presence. The Results About You tool now hunts for sensitive government IDs. The non-consensual imagery tool moves faster and handles batches. Continuous monitoring means you're not alone in this fight anymore.

These aren't magic solutions. Your information still exists on the internet. The tool removes it only from Google Search. But for most people, that's where discovery happens. That's where the harm comes from. Removing information from Google removes it from the everyday internet experience.

The tradeoff is real though. You're providing Google with sensitive information—your Social Security number (even just four digits), your passport, your driver's license. You're trusting Google to keep it safe and use it only as promised. That's a judgment call each person makes for themselves.

For most people, the calculation makes sense. Your SSN monitored by Google's systems is probably safer than your SSN scattered across dozens of data broker sites with zero monitoring. For people with stalkers or abusers in their life, tools that prevent easy discovery of their location or contact information are genuinely protective. For victims of non-consensual imagery, removing those images from the most common search path is meaningful help.

These tools won't solve privacy. They won't replace comprehensive regulation. They won't prevent bad actors from bad acts. But within the bounds of what a search engine can do, they're effective and worth using.

Set it up. Enable monitoring. Check periodically. Approve removals as appropriate. You're doing what you can to protect yourself in a world where information is everywhere and privacy is increasingly precious.

Key Takeaways

• Google's Results About You tool now monitors government ID numbers including SSNs, passports, and driver's licenses in search results
• You only provide last four digits of SSNs and passport numbers for Google to locate complete numbers on the internet
• Non-consensual imagery tool now supports batch reporting and continuous monitoring for new instances
• Removal from Google Search doesn't delete content from the internet—it just removes links from Google's index
• This tool works best as part of a comprehensive privacy strategy alongside credit freezes and strong password management

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