Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

You Can Now Ask Google to Remove Your Phone Number, Email or Address from Search Results

Summary: Google expanded the types of personal data people can request removed from search results to include phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses and confidential log-in credentials, following an earlier policy for removing images of people under 18. Google's Michelle Chang wrote that requests are evaluated against the full web page and that content appearing in the public record on government or official sites will not be removed.

Key Takeaway: Removal only decouples a link from Google's index - the content stays on the hosting site - and with Google holding roughly 90 percent of search engine usage, that delisting is the visibility that matters. Krebs' own test request concerned BriansClub, a stolen-card store that had posted his credit report, Social Security card and phone bill on its homepage.

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Data Breaches
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