Upgraded Google safety tools can now find and remove more of your personal info

February 11, 2026
Upgraded Google safety tools can now find and remove more of your personal info

Here's something that caught my attention — Google just made it easier to clean up your digital footprint. You know how some of your personal info might sneak onto the web without you realizing? Well, Ryan Whitwam reports that Google’s upgraded 'Results About You' tool now detects and removes more of that data, like ID numbers from your passport or driver’s license. And get this — if you want to remove non-consensual explicit images, that process is now faster and simpler. The twist? You do need to tell Google some details first, like the last four digits of your SSN or passport, so it can find and scrub those pages. But here’s where it gets interesting — according to Whitwam, this isn’t just about convenience, it’s about giving you more control over your personal info online. So what does this mean for you? Less worry about sensitive data floating around — and a little more peace of mind in this digital age.

Do you feel popular? There are people on the Internet who want to know all about you! Unfortunately, they don't have the best of intentions, but Google has some handy tools to address that, and they've gotten an upgrade today. The "Results About You" tool can now detect and remove more of your personal information. Plus, the tool for removing non-consensual explicit imagery (NCEI) is faster to use. All you have to do is tell Google your personal details first—that seems safe, right?

With today's upgrade, Results About You gains the ability to find and remove pages that include ID numbers like your passport, driver's license, and Social Security. You can access the option to add these to Google's ongoing scans from the settings in Results About You. Just click in the ID numbers section to enable detection.

Naturally, Google has to know what it's looking for to remove it. So you need to provide at least part of those numbers. Google asks for the full driver's license number, which is fine, as it's not as sensitive. For your passport and SSN, you only need the last four digits, which is enough for Google to find the full numbers on webpages.

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Audio Transcript

Do you feel popular? There are people on the Internet who want to know all about you! Unfortunately, they don't have the best of intentions, but Google has some handy tools to address that, and they've gotten an upgrade today. The "Results About You" tool can now detect and remove more of your personal information. Plus, the tool for removing non-consensual explicit imagery (NCEI) is faster to use. All you have to do is tell Google your personal details first—that seems safe, right?

With today's upgrade, Results About You gains the ability to find and remove pages that include ID numbers like your passport, driver's license, and Social Security. You can access the option to add these to Google's ongoing scans from the settings in Results About You. Just click in the ID numbers section to enable detection.

Naturally, Google has to know what it's looking for to remove it. So you need to provide at least part of those numbers. Google asks for the full driver's license number, which is fine, as it's not as sensitive. For your passport and SSN, you only need the last four digits, which is enough for Google to find the full numbers on webpages.

Read full article

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