United States: Google will launch new privacy tools to provide users with more control over unwanted personal images online as well as ensure explicit or graphic photos do not appear easily in search results.
The new update to Google’s policies will help users remove non-consensual and explicit imagery of themselves that they no longer wish to be visible in searches. The policy applies to websites containing personal information.
According to the update, if a person uploads explicit content to a website and no longer wishes for it to be available on search, they will be able to request the removal of it from Google search. The forms to submit requests have also been made simpler. However, the policy does not apply to images users are currently and actively commercialising.
Google will also roll out a new dashboard that will let users know about search results that display their contact information. Initially, the new dashboard will only be available in English in the US. Users can then quickly request the removal of these results from Google. Additionally, the tool will send a notification when new results with a user’s information pop up in a search.
Furthermore, Google will be introducing a new default blurring setting in SafeSearch for users who do not already have SafeSearch filtering on. This default setting will blur explicit imagery, adult content, and graphic, violent material in search results. Users can disable this setting at any time, except for supervised users on public networks, where the default blurring setting is locked.
Google initially announced this safeguard in February, and it will be launched globally in August.
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