Digital privacy is one of the hottest topics in tech today. Thus, companies try to come up with tools to help stay anonymous online. Google is testing a new feature that will let you remove search results about you. This is in the beta testing phase right now.
This was discovered by Radek Błędowski (via Mishaal Rahman). There are times when you look up your name online and you get information about yourself. It could be your social media platforms, posts you were tagged in, or any other information.
While being searchable might be an honor to some people, others might not like that. Nowadays, being searchable online could pose a security threat. People can run amuck with any bit of information about you.
This is why Google will let you remove search results about you
The search giant is working on a feature that will let you comb through search results about you and take them down. It’s in the beta testing stage at the moment, so not many people have access to it.
They show a walkthrough of the feature, and it’s pretty straightforward. First, you’ll see the feature on your settings page, possibly right under the search history settings. When you tap on the setting, you’ll see a splash screen telling you what this feature is all about.
Google is starting to roll out the "Results about you" tool, which lets you request the removal of search results showing your personal information. This was announced back at I/O, but some users like @RKBDI got it today.
Screenshots credits: ralph950412 on Telegram. pic.twitter.com/MVAFt68Wju
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) September 21, 2022
After that, you’re then going to tell Google who you are, so you’ll see a search bar. You’ll put your name in the bar. The app tells you that you might need to narrow the results down a bit, so you could also add your city.
You’ll then see your search results in a feed as usual. However, when you tap on the three-dot menu on the side of the results. Tap on it and you’ll see a panel pop up with the option to remove the result on the bottom. When you tap on the button, you’ll see another page pop up. On this page, you’ll tell Google why you’re choosing to remove these results.