Google has beefed up its privacy toolkit, announcing an expansion of the “Results About You” feature to let users request the removal of search results containing sensitive government-issued IDs like passports, driver’s licenses, and Social Security numbers, amid growing concerns over online exposure of personal data.
The update, rolled out on February 10, 2026, builds on the tool’s existing capabilities to flag and remove results with phone numbers, emails, or home addresses, now extending to confidential government IDs such as Social Security or tax ID numbers, driver’s licenses, and passports. Users can access the feature via the Google app or web by tapping their profile photo and selecting “Results about you,” where they input the IDs to monitor, though for Social Security numbers, only the last four digits are required. Google will then alert users if matching results appear and facilitate removal requests, though it notes that delisting from Search doesn’t erase content from the web itself.
Initially launching in the U.S., the feature is slated for broader international rollout, and it can now be accessed directly from Google Images search results. The expansion coincides with updates to Google’s non-consensual explicit images removal process, allowing users to submit bulk requests via a new dashboard and extending monitoring to family members or representatives.
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“Removing this information from Google Search doesn’t remove it from the web entirely, but this is an important step in helping you stay in control of your online presence and keep your private information private,” Google stated in its announcement. Security professionals have raised a catch: Submitting IDs to Google for monitoring means sharing sensitive data with the company, increasing potential risks despite safeguards, as every additional storage point elevates long-term exposure.
This isn’t Google’s first privacy push; the tool debuted in 2022 and has processed millions of requests, with doxxing content also eligible for removal if it includes contact info intended to harm.
Rivals like Microsoft Bing offer similar removal tools, but Google’s dominance in search amplifies the impact; as data breaches surge, this update could empower users against identity theft, though experts urge caution with sharing details, even to trusted platforms.
