What personal data is Google storing, and how to remove it?

With Google being the largest search engine on the internet with over one billion users worldwide, it's clear that a large amount of user information is stored by the company. The company is not only a search engine platform, but has its toes dipped into different platforms including Maps, Photos, Operating Software, Browsers, Communication, and a lot more, granting it access to a lot of data from its users.

The company stores the valuable Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of its users, including phone numbers, financial account numbers, physical addresses, passwords, IP addresses, handwritten signatures, and more. Thanks to the company's strict policy, users are protected from doxxing and financial fraud. Although Google is a trusted company, users do have the right to remove any information they want.

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Steps to remove personal data from Google

Download your data

Before removing any of the information that the company has stored about you, users can get a summary of all the data in your account.

To do so, log into your account on the website "MyAccount.Google.com", click on "Data & Privacy" on the navigation panel on the left, select "Data from apps and services you use" under "Your data & privacy options", click on "Content saved from Google Services", and select "Download your data".

This will allow you to download data from your account in the form of various formats, depending on which app or service it's being downloaded from. Currently, there are more than 47 types of data that you can select and download.

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Delete your data

A new feature was recently added to the Google mobile app that makes it an uncomplicated process for users on Android and iOS to submit information takedown requests. This feature was rolled out in September this year and may not be available on every device.

To remove any personal information that the company holds, open the Google app on your smartphone (both iOS and Android), tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner, and tap on "Results About You" on the pop-up menu. You will then be presented with an online form that you can fill out and answer questions about the type of personal information you want to delete.

Users can also obtain specific information deleted that other websites hold, such as addresses, search history, and phone numbers. All you need to do is fill in the URL of the website in the online form and submit the request. In this form, you can also select the intention of deleting the data, including doxxing, legal reasons, or because of explicit content.

Using this tool, all of the information that is behind the curtains can be accessed and deleted easily. As per Google's Vice President of Trust, Danielle Romain:

"For many people, a key element of feeling safer and more private online is having greater control over where their sensitive, personally-identifiable information can be found."

All submitted requests will be processed quickly through this new feature, and the company has stated that decisions will be made using a combination of algorithmic tools and human monitoring. However, it's possible that not all of the requests will be validated as they could be included on a government website or on an official news source, which cannot be deleted.