Someone copied my address from a Facebook post. Google now finds the copy. Will removing the post fix the search result?
The short answer
Treat the published page and Google's result as separate problems. If private details are still on a page, use Google's personal-information removal route and consider reporting the source separately. If the details have already disappeared from a page you do not own, check the outdated-content refresh route. Neither request removes every copy from the internet.
What this answer is based onWhat to do
Keep a private list of the exact page URLs, the search result, the date and any request reference. Record the type of exposed information without repeating it in public. Supply personal details or screenshots only through the verified official form when required; ClearRules does not collect them.
- Before changing your profile, preserve the necessary evidence privately. Identify the exact result and, if safe, whether the information remains on the source page. Do not contact a threatening publisher just to complete this check. Remove information you control from your own profile first; profile privacy does not retract copies made elsewhere.
- Check whether the information fits Google’s policy, such as your home address, phone number or email; not every mention of you qualifies. Results about you is rolling out for adults in certain markets; for a person under 18, use the detailed removal request form. Open the official Google help link. For information still published, follow its personal-information removal link. Results about you can help where available; the detailed form is an alternative when you do not want to sign in. For information already removed from someone else's page, use Refresh Outdated Content, which requires a Google sign-in. Do not use a refresh request for information that is still live.
- Review the request's exact URLs and necessary evidence, then submit it yourself if you choose. Keep the confirmation and read the decision or missing-information request. If approved, check the result and its removal scope. If another URL still exposes the details, document that URL separately. Continue the source-removal or platform-report route where safe; a Google decision is not a Meta decision.
The situation
Imagine that a public page has copied your Instagram biography and added your home address. You make your profile private, but the copied page still appears when someone searches for your name.
The situation and an improvement
I made Instagram private, so the copied address must disappear from Google.
I will check the copied page, choose the matching Google procedure and track the source and search requests separately.
More examples
The post is gone, but the old preview remains
A publisher removed your phone number, yet Google's snippet still shows it.
What to do
Check the exact result URL and use the outdated-content instructions. Keep the old snippet and the date of the change; do not claim that the number is still on the live page.
The missing removal button
You cannot find Results about you or a removal option beside a result.
What to do
Open Google's detailed personal-content guidance instead. Features and eligibility vary; a missing button does not mean that every legal or policy route is unavailable. Read the applicable conditions before supplying data.
What this answer is based on
Google Search Help · Remove my private info from Google Searchsupport.google.comGoogle Search Help · Results about you and removal requestsGoogle Search Console Help · Refresh Outdated ContentGoogle Search Help · Personal content removal policyPrimary source readReview details
Source reviewed:
We read the official source listed for this topic. Other Meta rules are reviewed separately.
Four public Google help pages about personal information, result removal and outdated-result refresh were read on 8 November 2026. This is a separate Google route for information that may have been copied from Facebook or Instagram; Meta rules were not rechecked. Sign-in, forms and account dashboards were not tested. Keeping a URL list and separating requests are ClearRules recommendations.
Include the guide link, language and wording that needs checking. Add an official source link if you have one. Do not send passwords, login codes or photos of identity documents.
Examples are made up to explain the guidance. Meta decides individual account and content cases.
Sources and related topicsPolicy Graph · Demo in development