Google has announced new privacy and security tools for users. Specifically, the company has enhanced and updated two features: Safe Search and Results about you. Both updates are designed for users to stay in control of their personal information and privacy and safely browse online. Here’s what you’ll be able to do with this new Google functionality.
Get alerts and remove your personal data from Google search results
Google launched Results about you in 2022. The tool allowed any user to request the removal of search results that contained their personal phone number, home address, or email from Google search results.
Now, Google has improved the tool, allowing users to be notified automatically when their data appears in Google searches. With the new Results about you, users can get alerts when their personal data pops up and ask for it to be removed, all in one new dashboard.
How to access Google’s Results about you feature
To access Results about you:
- Go to the Google app on your phone.
- Click on your Google account photo.
- Select “Results about you.”
The tool can also be accessed at the Google Results about you page.
At the time, Results about you is only available in the U.S. and covers search results in English, but Google plans to roll out the feature globally to new languages and locations in the near future.
For a safer browsing experience, try the new SafeSearch
Google also released the new SafeSearch feature, which it first announced was coming in February 2023. This feature is enabled by default and will blur out explicit and sensible imagery, including adult or graphic violent content when it appears in your search results.
The new SafeSearch has been rolled out globally for all users in every region and language. Users can adjust settings or turn off SafeSearch at any time. Additionally, parents, guardians, and work and school network administrators can lock the setting, preventing unauthorized users from making changes to it.
How to enable Safe Search on your computer, iPhone, or iPad
The new SafeSearch setting can be modified to manage explicit content, including nudity, graphic sex acts, sexually explicit material, violence, and gore. However, users must understand that SafeSearch only works on Google Search results. It won’t affect explicit content you find on other search engines or websites.
To enable SafeSearch on your computer:
- Open a browser and go to www.google.com/safesearch.
- Choose whether to Filter or Blur explicit content, or click Off to disable the feature.
If you see a Lock icon on the top right, it means the administrator of your computer has locked this feature.
To turn on SafeSearch on your iPhone and iPad:
- Go to the Google App.
- Tap your Profile picture at the top right and select Settings, then SafeSearch.
- Choose whether to Filter or Blur explicit content, or click Off to disable the feature.
Again, if you see a Lock icon on the top right, the administrator has blocked this setting.
More tools for your privacy and security
Google’s new innovations are designed to give users more control over their data and improve their online browsing experience. With these additions, the company is building on a trend being pursued by companies like Apple and Microsoft. And while explicit image filtering and the removal of personal data with tools like SafeSearch and Results about you only affect Google results and not the content of other search engines or websites, it is a welcomed step in the right direction.
