Google's 'Results about You' Tool Helps Shield Personal Info from People-Search Sites

In recent years, it has become increasingly easy for individuals to access personal information about others using people-search websites. These sites compile data from public records, social media profiles, and other sources to provide detailed information on a person's name, age, address history, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives, and associates.

The Federal Trade Commission identifies these people-search sites as a type of data broker. Google has introduced a free tool called 'Results about you' to help mitigate this issue. This feature allows users to monitor search results for personal details such as home address, phone number, email address, Social Security number, passport number, and driver's license number.

To use the 'Results about you' tool, users must sign in to their Google account and open Google or the Google app. They can then tap their profile picture and choose 'Results about you.' From there, they can enter their name and desired personal details for Google to monitor. If a match is found, users can review the page and request removal from Google Search.

However, it's essential to note that removing a result from Google does not eliminate the underlying information; rather, it makes the page harder to find through its search engine. Users must contact the website directly to remove their information at the source.