Google Child Safety: Tech giant rolls out new features to improve privacy online

Google is about to launch a new policy that would enable those who are less than 18 years of age or their parents to get their images removed from the Google Image search results. The policy will be a part of other changes that Google will be implementing throughout its services, including YouTube, Google Assistant, Google Search and more. Keep reading to know more about Google Child Safety initiatives and Google privacy policy update. 

Google privacy policy update to provide a safe platform for children

Google is updating its privacy policies to make the platform more secure for children. In the coming weeks, the company will implement quite a few changes throughout the services it provides which will be focused on increasing child safety and security on the platform. The updates are not only limited to Google Images, but also involve new policies within YouTube, Google Play, and Google Workspace.  

"While we already provide a range of removal options for people using Google Search, children are at particular risk when it comes to controlling their imagery on the internet. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a new policy that enables anyone under the age of 18, or their parent or guardian, to request the removal of their images from Google Image results" ~ Google says in an official blog post on the Indian blog. 

Following are the policy changes across the service provided by Google  

• Google images: as stated earlier, Google is about to change its policy, allowing anyone who is not above 18 years of age to request the removal of their images from the Google search engine. Parents and guardians of such children can also apply for the same. However, Google also mentions that removing an image from the search engine does not guarantee its deletion from the internet. 
• YouTube: Google is changing the default upload setting for children between 13 and 17 years of age, and setting it to private so that the videos uploaded cannot be seen by anyone and only whom the creator chooses. Additionally, YouTube will also be implementing digital well-being tools, such as reminders for taking breaks and bedtime. 
• Google Assistant: Google ensures that explicit or mature content is not a part of results that Google Assistant shows as a result of a voice search.

How to remove images from Google image search results?

While there are some ways to request Google to remove content from the search engine, they seem to be restricted to removing non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images, removing involuntary fake pornographic images and other conditional aspects. With the implementation of the new policies, Google might allow users to request the removal of their images under a special clause of being underage.