Google has quietly updated its content removal policies with a line that states it may now remove “confidential, personal medical records of private people.” This update was first noticed and reported on by Bloomberg.
According to a Google spokesperson, personal medical records will only be removed on request from the individual. With this recent update, the full list of personal information Google may remove from search results includes:
- National identification numbers like U.S. Social Security Number, Argentine
- Single Tax Identification Number, Brazil Cadastro de pessoas Físicas, Korea
- Resident Registration Number, China Resident Identity Card, etc.
- Bank account numbers
- Credit card numbers
- Images of signatures
- Nude or sexually explicit images that were uploaded or shared without your consent
- Confidential, personal medical records of private people
Google decides whether or not to remove personal information from search results on a case-by-case basis. Information is typically removed if it creates significant risks of identity theft, financial fraud, or other types of harm to an individual.
If the information is publicly available on a government website, Google will not remove it from search results.
Individuals can request to have their personal information removed from search results, if it matches the above criteria, by visiting this page.
