Google, by far the most popular search engine in the world, is now taking privacy a little more seriously with an extensive list of details of personal information that can be removed on demand from search results such as phone numbers and addresses. Users have long been able to disclose confidential personal information appearing in Google search results, such as government ID, bank account and credit card information, and even information published in a doxing campaign. But now, the removal request service has been extended to personal contact information, such as physical addresses, phone number and email addresses, as well as login credentials. The move marks a change in Google’s privacy policy, which has so far been more relaxed in its communications under the guise of public access to information. Contact information that is considered to be of public interest, however, such as the phone number of an organization or politician’s office, will continue to appear in search results. In addition, Google has placed a higher bar for those who wish to remove information as part of a doxing campaign. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that not only has their contact information been made public, but there is also a risk to those concerned. “Our research has shown that there is more personal information that users find sensitive,” Michelle Chang, Google’s global search policy, told Reuters in an exclusive interview. “They are increasingly reluctant to tolerate this content on the internet.” That’s because of the tens of thousands of removal requests Google has received in the past year, of which Chang said only about 13% were accepted – with approval ratings expected to increase with the latest expansion. However, any information removed by Google may still be accessible through other search engines. Google has doubled its privacy measures lately. Last year, parent company Alphabet announced a series of sweeping changes to make Search, YouTube and other applications safer for children, including removing photos from search results under the age of 18 on request. Earlier this week, Google also released a new data security module for all apps in its Play Store, such as Apple Labels, asking developers to detail how user data information will be used before downloading any application. This followed Google’s changes in February to limit ad tracking on Android. 10 things you need to know directly in your inbox every day. Sign up for the Daily Brief, the Silicon Republic summary of major science technology news.
