Your home address may be for sale online, but millions still haven’t used this free Google tool to hide it

Your name, home address, and phone number could be up for sale online, but thankfully, this free Google tool can help you protect yourself.  

These days, most of us are pretty savvy when it comes to online security, making sure we have the latest operating system updates and using privacy tools to stay safe. 

However, you might not be aware that online ‘data brokers’ can be out there selling your private information to anyone who wants to get their hands on it. 

That means your personal information could end up in the hands of unscrupulous hackers, scammers or identity thieves, but there’s a free tool that can make you a lot safer. 

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The free tool is a ‘no-brainer’ when it comes to protecting yourself online

Your data falling into the wrong hands can be a major concern. 

So knowing that there are data brokers out there buying and trading your details is sure to make a lot of folks feel uncomfortable. 

Thankfully, you can make things a little more difficult for them by using a free Google tool. 

Results About You was launched in 2022 and allows you to ask Google to take your private information down. 

Getting started is easy, just head to the Results About You hub and then full out the form. 

Once its set up, Google will email you when it finds any of your private information, for example your name or home address, and you can review the sites. 

You can also submit any instances you see directly, by clicking on the three dots next to the link in Google search and tapping ‘remove result’. 

Electronic Frontier Foundation security and privacy activist Thorin Klosowski told the BBC that using the free service was a ‘no-brainer’.

“In terms of stuff that’s right there, no effort, it’s probably number one,” he said.

“Quick access to this kind of information can be used in ways both grand and small.”

Not many people know about the handy Google tool

Although the free tool is helpful, it does have its limitations. 

It isn’t able to delete the information found on other webpages, it’ll only get rid of the links form its search function. 

But even that alone should make a big difference. 

Klosowski told the BBC that it was ‘helpful to get rid of the worst, most obvious stuff’, and that Results About Me can help you do that. 

Despite the tool being free and fairly simple to use, Google told the outlet that only around 10 million people have used it since it was introduced.

That may sound like a lot but there are a reported 1.8 billion Google accounts out there, so there are still many millions of people who haven’t yet given this free Google tool a try yet.

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