Google Privacy warning: People may be selling your personal information online

Google Privacy warning: Millions of people may have their personal information circulating online without their knowledge, as companies known as data brokers collect and sell details such as names, home addresses and phone numbers to third parties.

According to a report by the BBC, these companies gather personal data from various online sources and sell it cheaply to marketers, telemarketers and sometimes even cybercriminals.

However, a free privacy tool from Google may help reduce this risk by removing such sensitive information from search results.

Google Privacy warning: A little-known privacy tool

The tool, known as Results About You, allows users to request that Google remove links in search results that contain their personal information.

Once activated, the service automatically scans search results for details such as your name, home address, phone number or email address and notifies you if they appear online.

Users can then request that those search results be removed.

Despite its usefulness, many people are still unaware that the service exists.

According to privacy experts, the tool is one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of personal information accessible through search engines.

Why exposed personal data is risky

Data brokers collect and distribute personal data obtained from websites, public records and marketing databases.

This information can be accessed by a wide range of individuals, including advertisers, scammers and identity thieves.

Digital privacy advocate Thorin Klosowski from the Electronic Frontier Foundation says tools like Results About You provide an easy first step in protecting personal data.

He notes that while the tool does not completely erase personal information from the internet, it removes one of the easiest ways people can find it—through search engines.

Important limitations

While the tool helps reduce exposure, it does not completely delete personal information from the websites where it originally appears.

Instead, it removes the links from Google search results, making the information harder to find.

Experts say that determined individuals may still be able to locate the information through other means.

The tool also cannot remove content from certain sources such as government records or legitimate news websites.

How users can activate the tool

To begin using Results About You, users need to:

1. Visit the Results About You hub on Google.
2. Enter details such as their name, phone number, email or home address.
3. Allow Google to monitor search results for those details.

Once set up, Google sends alerts whenever the system detects that information appearing online.

Users can also manually remove search results by clicking the three-dot menu next to a search result and selecting the “remove result” option.

Additional steps for stronger privacy

For people who want to completely remove their information from the internet, additional actions may be required.

This may include contacting data brokers directly and requesting that they delete personal records.

Some companies also offer paid services that remove personal data from multiple databases simultaneously.

Digital rights experts recommend combining search result removal tools with broader privacy practices, such as limiting the amount of personal information shared online.

Growing awareness of digital privacy

Since its launch in 2022, more than 10 million users have activated Results About You.

However, this remains a small fraction of the estimated 1.8 billion accounts using Google services worldwide.

Experts say increasing awareness of simple privacy tools like this could help millions of people better protect their personal information online.

Source: BBC.com

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