Google

Google unveils new Results About You page, ecosystem-wide Google Account Safety Status

Andrew Romero | May 11 2022 - 11:09 am PT

Every year, the emphasis on cybersecurity and privacy grows larger and larger. This Google I/O is no different, with Google making some big changes to how much control you have over your internet presence. One new feature is the ability to completely wipe important details in results about you from intimate Google Searches. Along with that, Google is expanding its Safety Status security features to more apps and putting a bigger emphasis on 2SV.

Today, at Google I/O 2022, Google announced a few serious features that keep your personal safety in mind. The first is the ability to more easily remove personal Search results in Google that contain information like your address, phone number, and email. While all that information isn’t by any means hard to dig up, it can be hard to get rid of. With Google’s new “Results about you” feature, users will be able to put in requests to have Google remove that sort of information from Google Search results with just a few taps.

This feature has already existed to some extent, allowing people to request the removal of severely personal information in Search results. This process, however, required information like credit card info and social security to be available in Search results. Back in late April, Google added functionality by allowing users to remove phone numbers, email address, and physical addresses. With Google’s new “Results about you” tool, people get easier access to this request feature.

Additionally, Google is updating the Account Safety Status tool to more apps, making it easier to see if your Google Account is compromised. Previously, you had to head into your profile on Google and check your Account Safety Status. With this update, you’ll be able to see this status – in the form of a yellow exclamation point – on your profile picture in multiple Google apps. Making this status more accessible will surely draw more attention to Account safety, essentially making it very hard to miss when something is off.

Another way Google is expanding security is by embracing a more “passwordless future” with automatic 2-step verification. This began last year as Google started pushing 2SV more and more. The company decided to move forward with plans to auto-enroll Google Accounts in 2SV, bolstering security even further.

These changes and refurbishments are no doubt a large step towards improving cybersecurity. Google says that the new Results About You page will be available in the “coming months” through the Google app. If you don’t want to wait that long, the feature is accessible now by tapping or clicking the three-dot menu next to individual Google Search results. As for auto-enrolling more users in 2SV and the new Account Security Status icons in Google Apps, there doesn’t seem to be a release date as of yet.