How to Remove Your Social Security Number From Google

Anyone who knows your Social Security number can make it visible to the world. This can happen if a friend or business partner posts your private information in a forum, and Google's indexing robots discover it. When people search Google, they may stumble upon a search result that takes them to the Web page that displays your Social Security number. As Google notes, "You should first reach out to the site owner or webmaster to have the information removed." If you discover a Google search result that leads to a page that contains your Social Security number, you can fill out a form that asks Google to investigate the problem.

Copy the URL of the Google search results page that has a link to the Web page that contains your Social Security number. Do that by highlighting the URL in your browser's Address bar and pressing "Ctrl-C."

Navigate to the Web page that displays your Social Security number and copy that page's URL.

Visit Google's Inside Search Web page and review the form it displays. Enter your name and email address in the appropriate text boxes.

Answer the form's questions and paste the two URLs you copied into the appropriate text boxes. You must also enter the last four digits of your Social Security number in the text box that asks for those digits. Click "Submit" to submit your removal request.