Google has updated and extended its policies to now allow victims of doxxing to request the removal of Personably Indefinable Information (PII) from search engine results. When a victim gets doxxed, a person with malicious intent releases information about the victim, without their consent, with the hope that the PII that is included in the “Dox” can be used to negatively affect that person. Typically, this information contains full name, physical address, phone number, email address, family members, social media profiles, and sometimes Social Security Numbers (SSN). The new policies from Google are aimed at helping these victims prevent fraud, identity theft, and in some cases physical harm.
Analyst Notes
Google has placed some requirements on the type of information that can be removed and has implemented a formal process that must be followed in order to request the information be taken down. This change in Google policies will help victims of doxxing and better protect them after a dox has taken place. The Binary Defense Counterintelligence team monitors Clearnet and Darknet forums for any malicious information that is being posted about organizations and their executives, including looking for the PII of executives being released in the wild.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/google/google-fights-doxxing-with-updated-personal-info-removal-policy/
