Michelle in Phoenix asks: “Hello, Kim, do you have recommendations for services that remove your phone number, home address off Google? My son is getting extremely harassing texts and vandalism at his home. We want to remove all our phone numbers and addresses from public viewing.”
Michelle, you’re not alone.
Googling yourself used to be fun. Now it’s like opening the front door and finding your Social Security number spray-painted on your garage.
It’s not just creepy, it’s a big-time privacy and safety risk.
Google finally lets you do something about it.
You can request the removal of personal info from search results. It won’t erase the data from the internet entirely, but it can stop it from popping up on Google.
🔎 How to find out what’s out there
Start by Googling your full name, phone number and home address in quotes. For example: “Johnny Hottie” “555-555-5555” “123 Main Street”
If anything pops up, take a screenshot or jot down the URL. You need that next.
✏️ Request removal directly from Google
Visit Google’s “Remove Personal Info” tool and fill out a form. Choose the type of info you want removed, paste the link and submit it.
You can also do this directly from search results. Click the three dots next to a link and choose “Remove result.” Hopefully, the mighty Google will get rid of it.
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