Web Scraping: How Google’s New Feature Helps Protect User Privacy in the Digital Age

In today’s digital age, cybercriminals use various channels to obtain sensitive information from their victims. Social engineering attacks have become more sophisticated, making it easier for individuals to fall prey to them. But what if you could easily find sensitive information that was supposed to be confidential by conducting a simple web browser search?

Leaks, or “filtrations” in the cybersecurity world, involve the disclosure of internal information from a State, company, or entity that was not meant to be made public. There are different types of leaks ranging from minor to more severe breaches. Recently, Argentina experienced significant leaks when cybercriminals shared photos of Argentines extracted from a system associated with Renaper on an underground forum and Telegram. Additionally, a database of users from The nose, a popular site providing citizen information, was uploaded including addresses, documents, phone numbers, employment details and financial records. Another leak from Renaper was also reported last Wednesday.

In response to these breaches, Google has launched a new tool aimed at enhancing user privacy. This feature allows users to locate personal data like full names, phone numbers or IDs that are circulating on the internet without protection. The function is intended to help users prevent their sensitive information from being easily accessible to malicious actors. While the tool may not be available in all regions yet, users can follow certain steps to activate it on their Google accounts. Google will alert users if any specified information appears in its search engine although it cannot entirely remove personal data from the internet. The tool can make this data less visible on Google Search making it harder for others to access and exploit.

By following these steps to activate this feature, users can take proactive measures to protect their personal information from potential breaches and cyber threats even though Google’s new functionality may not be available in all regions yet it serves as a valuable tool for enhancing online privacy and security