Google's Personal Data Removal Tool Now Covers Government IDs

Google on Tuesday expanded its "Results about you" tool to let users request the removal of Search results containing government-issued ID numbers -- including driver's licenses, passports and Social Security numbers -- adding to the tool's existing ability to flag results that surface phone numbers, email addresses, and home addresses.

The update, announced on Safer Internet Day, is rolling out in the U.S. over the coming days. Google also streamlined its process for reporting non-consensual explicit images on Search, allowing users to select and submit removal requests for multiple images at once rather than reporting them individually.

It's Today

[TwistedGreen]

To those who don't know, Safer Internet Day is today, February 10th, 2026... according to Google.

Re:

[Fly Swatter]

I won't believe you unless you show me your valid photo id. Oh and your credit card number. /s

Backups?

[bill_mcgonigle]

How does Big Tech handle backups with data deletion requests?

I've set up backup systems for enterprises in the past where we had a hard requirement of restoring state back to seven years.

"Station wagons full of magtapes", and such.

I would presume a subpoena would require such retrieval. I can imagine a few cryptographic systems to make that difficult by mixing it with production but that would require extraordinary effort and commitment to privacy, which I would never expect of pretty much any corporation.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good move, but let's be careful to not get too cavalier assuming compromising info has been deleted.

It's a shame but I'm mentally and strategically preparing for services to require ID one by one over the next decade and ending my 1988-present use of the Internet at that point.

Unless the sun does it first.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

Why would backups be an issue? All they are doing is removing those search results from their own systems, placing a flag on the URL to not display that page when someone searches for your identifiers.

Oh sure

[awwshit]

Give Google all of my data, so they can 'remove' it for me.

Give Palantir my photo, so they can remove it for me.

You can feel the protection.

Re: Oh sure

[LindleyF]

If you buy a house, or a car, or renew your license, or register to vote, or sign up for a magazine, or do any of a thousand other little things, your personal information will end up on dozens of people search websites. They each have an opt out, but that takes forever. A single, central place to say "leave me alone" would help a lot.

Re:

[belg4mit]

That is what a properly functioning government is for :-[

Re:

[belg4mit]

To clarify that'd be strict and enforced privacy regulations with teeth, not a central clearinghouse.

Re:

[awwshit]

https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/ [ca.gov]

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

Or you can just leave your personal data on the open web where anyone can find it with a Google search. Pick your poison.

Does that mean...

[commodore73]

Do I have to give Google these identifiers to have them removed? Seems like a risk. And no, I didn't even read the summary.

Radio Buttons?

[ehaggis]

Why is the online form all radio buttons and not checkboxes? Does one have to repeat the process for every scenario? (If only there was an AI bot that could take some prompts and figure it out from there.)

Corrected link

[flibbidyfloo]

I think the URL you meant to post is this:

https://blog.google/products-a... [blog.google]

Explicit Images?

[Thinkerer]

The link goes to "We are introducing a new way to request the removal of non-consensual explicit images on Search." My drivers license and government IDs have me fully clothed, thank you. The deletion requests seem to be on an individual-image basis as well.