Google is expanding tools to let users remove sensitive data about themselves from search

As part of Safer Internet Day, Google unveiled updates to Results About You and tools for removing non-consensual explicit images.

The Results About You tool already allows users to remove search results that contain their phone number, email address or home address, and can now also be used to request the removal of results that include information such as a driver’s license, passport or Social Security number, the company said in an update on Tuesday.

You can access the tool in the Google app by tapping on your Google Account picture and selecting “Results about you.” If this is your first time using the tool, you’ll need to click Get Started and then add the personal contact information you want to monitor. You will then be asked to add your government ID numbers. Existing users can add their ID numbers and choose which numbers they want to monitor.

Once you confirm your details, Google will automatically monitor your search results and notify you if it finds results containing your information. Google notes that removing this information from search does not remove it from the web entirely, but doing so can help keep your information private.

The update will be rolled out in the US in the coming days. Google plans to bring it to additional regions in the future.

The tech giant also announced that it is making it easier to request removal of non-consensual explicit images on search. Now, users just have to tap the three dots on the image, choose “Remove hit,” then tap “It shows a sexual photo of me.” Additionally, you no longer need to report images one by one, as you can now select and submit multiple image requests from search results using a single form. Users can also track the status of all orders in one place within the Results About You hub.

“We realize that removing existing content is only part of the solution,” Google wrote in its blog post. “For additional protection, the new process allows you to opt in to safeguards that will proactively filter out any additional explicit results that may appear in similar searches.”