Those using Google to help them find contact information for people, whether skiptracing accounts or just looking to get in touch with someone, may start finding it harder to get what you are looking for, because the search engine giant is going to start allowing individuals to request to have their contact information removed from search results, according to a published report.
While the move is intended to help eliminate identity theft and other scams against consumers, it could have wide-reaching implications for the accounts receivable management industry, too. Google has long had a policy of allowing individuals to request the removal of certain information from search results, but it is now expanding the types of information it will wipe from its results. Going beyond bank account information or credit card numbers, Google will remove phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses when asked by consumers to do so. The “internet is always evolving – with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways — so our policies and protections need to evolve, too,” wrote Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, in a blog post announcing the new measures.
Chang noted that the information mentioned above can be used to make unwanted direct contact or even physical harm on those whose information has been published. And people have told Google they would like the option of having that information removed.
“When we receive removal requests, we will evaluate all content on the web page to ensure that we’re not limiting the availability of other information that is broadly useful, for instance in news articles,” Chang wrote. “We’ll also evaluate if the content appears as part of the public record on the sites of government or official sources. In such cases, we won’t make removals.”
Consumers interested in having their information removed from search results can do so by clicking here.
