London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 05, 2026

Google making personal info private in searches

Google making personal info private in searches

Google can still deny some requests to remove information

Google users now have more ways to protect themselves online.


Users can now send in requests to remove private content, including phone numbers, email and physical addresses from search results. The move is part of Google's ongoing effort to cut down on identify theft and malicious behavior online.

"Google may remove personally identifiable information that has potential to create significant risks of identity theft, financial fraud, harmful direct contact or other specific harms," the company said in a note online.

Google Search had already allowed users to request the removal of highly personal content that could cause direct harm. This includes information like bank account or credit card numbers that could be used for fraud.

"But the internet is always evolving — with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways — so our policies and protections need to evolve, too," Google Global Policy Lead for Search Michelle Chang said in a blog post.

Chang noted that open access to information is a "key goal of Search." However, "so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private," Chang said.

"When you’re using the internet, it’s important to have control over how your sensitive, personally identifiable information can be found," Chang added.

Google noted, though, that not all requests will be granted. It will evaluate each request based off certain criteria, including if it's content for public interest.

Content considered to be of public interest includes content on or from the government and other official sources, newsworthy content or professionally relevant content.

Additionally, removing content from Google Search won’t remove it from the internet, the company warned. As a result, Google says users may want to contact hosting sites directly.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Parliament Raises Concerns Over Funding Structure of £400 Million Tropical Forest Initiative
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North as Part of UK Devolution Push
UK Reaffirms Falkland Islands Sovereignty Amid Renewed Regional Pressure
Andy Burnham to Abstain From Assisted Dying Vote as Ministers Are Told to Remain Neutral
Kemi Badenoch Sacks Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride in Conservative Economic Strategy Shake-Up
UK Government Drops Early Prisoner Release Plan in Favor of Deportations and Wider Prison Reform
UK Farmers Warn Drought-Hit Harvests Could Push Grocery Prices Higher
UK Economy Faces Persistent Stagflation Risks Ahead of October Budget
Masked Protesters Block Port of Dover Roads, Disrupting Cross-Channel Traffic
Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials After Undercover Investigation Into Foreign Donation Plans
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
Bank of England’s Huw Pill Calls for Prompt Rate Rise as Inflation Risks Persist
National Audit Office Warns UK Is Unprepared for Major Food Supply Disruptions
British Army Suspends Some Training Exercises as Budget Pressures Intensify
HMS Queen Elizabeth Deploys as NATO Allied Response Force Command Ship
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Officials Over Alleged Foreign Donation Scheme
UK Reasserts Falkland Islands Sovereignty After Argentina Threatens Sanctions
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
×