Google Can Now Track Your ID Searches
▼ Summary
– Google has expanded its “Results about you” tool to now monitor and help request the removal of Search results containing sensitive government ID numbers like Social Security, passport, and driver’s license details.
– The tool, already used by over 10 million people to monitor phone numbers and addresses, automatically scans for matches and notifies users when it finds their submitted ID information.
– This new feature is important because government ID numbers pose a greater, long-term identity risk compared to more changeable personal information like a phone number.
– The capability is currently rolling out in the U.S., with plans to expand to other regions, and users can access it via the Google app or a specific website.
– It is crucial to note that removing information from Google Search does not delete it from the source websites, which must be contacted separately for full removal.
Google has significantly enhanced its privacy-focused “Results about you” dashboard, now enabling users to monitor and request the removal of search listings that expose sensitive government identification details. This expansion addresses a critical gap in personal data protection, moving beyond phone numbers and home addresses to safeguard harder-to-change identifiers like Social Security numbers, driver’s license details, and passport information. The update empowers individuals to take a more proactive stance against identity theft and fraud.
The upgraded tool allows users to add these specific ID numbers to their monitoring profile. Once registered, the system automatically scans Google Search results and sends notifications if any matches are detected. According to the company, this feature has already been utilized by over ten million people to track their personal information online. Accessing the dashboard is straightforward: users can either tap their account photo in the Google app and select “Results about you” or visit the dedicated web portal. New users will go through a brief setup to add contact information before including ID numbers, while existing users can add the new data points directly. Google emphasizes that all submitted information is protected using its standard security protocols and encryption.
This new capability is initially launching in the United States, with a rollout planned over the next several days. The company has stated its intention to expand the feature’s availability to other regions in the future. The introduction of ID monitoring highlights a distinct and elevated privacy risk. While a phone number or email address can be changed, a government-issued identifier is fundamentally tied to an individual’s long-term identity. The exposure of such data in public search results creates a persistent threat, making its removal a more urgent priority for personal security.
The evolution of this tool reflects a broader shift toward automated, user-controlled privacy management. It began as a manual request form and has progressively developed into a proactive monitoring system with automatic alerts. This latest expansion continues that pattern, systematically increasing the scope of information users can track. Websites that commonly host such sensitive data, including public records aggregators, legal document repositories, and data broker platforms, should anticipate a rise in removal requests as public awareness of this tool grows.
It is crucial to understand a key limitation of the service. Removing a link from Google Search results does not erase the information from the internet itself. If a government ID number is published on a third-party website, individuals must still contact that site’s administrator directly to request the underlying content be taken down. The tool effectively controls the visibility of sensitive data in search, but complete removal requires action at the source.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
