A Google Review Shows Personal Information: How to Get It Removed

If a Google review shows a private phone number, home address, license plate or other personal details, report it in Google Maps or your Business Profile under the personal information reason. Google's Maps content policy prohibits posting another person's personal information without consent. If the report is rejected, use the one-time appeal or Google's legal removal form. Do not repeat the details in your reply.

What Google treats as personal information in a review

Google's Maps prohibited and restricted content policy says: do not distribute or post personal information without consent. It defines personal information as information that applies to a living identifiable person and whose disclosure could result in risk of harm if it is compromised or misused.

The policy names examples such as a person's full name or last name, their face in a photo or video, and personally identifiable information including financial, medical or personal identification information. It also covers other information that has been reported as posted without consent.

In practice, these are the details business owners most often find in a review that crosses the line:

• A private mobile number or personal email address (not the business line)
• A home address, or directions to where an owner or employee lives
• A license plate, often alongside a description of a parked car
• Health details about a person, such as a diagnosis or treatment
• Account numbers, card details or ID numbers
• Details about family members, such as children's names or schools

The same policy page lists doxxing under harassment. If the personal details are paired with a threat or an invitation for others to show up or make contact, that is a stronger case, and you should also read our guide on what to do when a Google review threatens you or your staff.

What is not personal information under the policy

It helps to know the exceptions before you report, because a report built on the wrong reason tends to be rejected. According to the policy, businesses can share their own business contact details, such as a phone number, email or social media handles. A reviewer repeating your published business number is not a violation.

Names are also allowed in some cases. The policy permits an individual's name when it is part of a commonly known business name, when the person is a public-facing professional doing business under their own name (the policy mentions examples such as doctors, lawyers and realtors), and for executives whose names and connection to the place are publicly known.

If the only issue is that a review names a staff member, that is a different question with its own nuances. Our article on a Google review that names your employee covers it. This article is about details that go beyond a name: contact data, addresses, plates and private facts.

Step by step: report the review to Google

Google asks you to use in-product reporting first. Its Report content for legal reasons page says to try to flag the content in the relevant product before creating a legal request. Work through these steps in order.

1. Capture evidence. Take a dated screenshot of the review, including the reviewer's display name, the date and the full text. Copy the review's link from Google Maps (use the share option on the review if available). Store it somewhere only you and the people handling the issue can access.
2. Note exactly which words are the personal information. Write down the specific phrase: "the review lists a mobile number in the second sentence" or "the review gives the street address of the owner's home." You will need this for the appeal or legal form.
3. Flag the review in Google Maps. Google's help page on adding, editing or deleting Maps reviews describes the path: open the review, select the More icon next to it, choose to flag or report it, and pick the reason. Choose the reason that matches the personal information or harassment, not a general one.
4. Report it from your Business Profile as well. Google's Business Profile help page on reporting inappropriate reviews explains that you can open your profile, select Read reviews, use the report option next to the review, select the reason and send the report. The same page describes the Reviews Management Tool, where you can choose "Report a new review for removal."
5. Check the status. In the Reviews Management Tool, Google shows statuses such as "Decision pending," "Report reviewed - no policy violation" and "Escalated - check your email for updates." Interfaces change, so check the help page for the current wording.

Report once per review with the accurate reason. Repeated or mass flagging does not speed anything up, and false reasons undermine the reports you file later.

If Google says there is no violation: appeal

According to the Business Profile reporting help page, if a report comes back as "no policy violation," you can submit a one-time appeal in the Reviews Management Tool. You can select up to 10 eligible reviews, complete the appeal form, and Google sends the final decision by email.

The appeal is where your notes from step 2 matter. Be short and specific: quote the exact detail, say whose information it is, and say that it was posted without that person's consent. For a longer walkthrough of how appeals work, see how to appeal when Google keeps a review you reported.

Example (illustrative): "This review publishes the private mobile number and home street of [Name], an employee who has not consented. The number appears in the third sentence ('call him at …'). This is not business contact information. We are asking for removal under the Maps personal information policy. The rest of the review's feedback is not part of this request."

That last sentence is worth keeping. A negative opinion on its own is not a reason for removal, and Google decides what stays. Making clear that you are only objecting to the personal data keeps the request credible.

Using Google's legal removal form

Google also runs a separate process for content that may need removal for legal reasons. The Report Content On Google form asks you first to select the product where the content appears, and Google Maps is one of the options. The form includes reporting categories related to private information, such as doxxing and personally identifiable information.

According to Google's legal reporting guidance, a request should include:

• The specific URL of the content, not a link to your profile's main page
• A clear explanation of what content you are reporting and why
• Relevant background that helps Google evaluate the request
• A separate report for each Google product where the content appears

The same page notes that Google can only act on its own products. If the same details were posted elsewhere, you need to contact that site separately.

This article is general information, not legal advice. If the exposure involves threats, stalking, health information or financial data, consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction, and contact local police if anyone's safety is at risk.

What to do while you wait

Reviews stay visible while Google checks them. Our article on how long Google takes to check a reported review covers timing. Meanwhile, limit the harm.

Do not repeat the details in your reply

Your public reply should never quote the phone number, address or plate, even to deny it. Repeating it spreads the information further. Keep the reply short, calm and free of personal data, or wait to reply until Google has decided.

Example (illustrative): "Thank you for your feedback. We have reported part of this review because it contains personal information about a member of our team. We would like to understand your concerns about your visit. Please contact [manager's email] so we can follow up directly."

Secure what was exposed

• Phone number: tell the person affected, and consider call screening or temporarily routing work calls to a business line.
• Home address: let the person decide what precautions they want; involve police if there is any threat.
• Account or card details: contact the bank or provider right away.
• Login details or email: change passwords and turn on two-step verification.

Consider asking the reviewer to edit

Google's Maps help explains that reviewers can edit or delete their own reviews. If you have a normal customer relationship with the reviewer, a polite private request to remove only the personal details can work. Never pressure, threaten or offer anything in exchange, and do not use the reviewer's own personal data to find them if they have not shared it with you.

When the review is also fake or misdirected

Sometimes the personal information sits inside a review that has other problems. If the reviewer was never your customer, read what to do about a review from a non-customer. Use the most accurate reason for each report, not every reason at once.

If you have a specific review in front of you and want a second opinion on whether it likely breaks a Google policy, the free review removal check from BRANDprotecto can help you decide which reason fits before you report.

Quick checklist

Step	Where	What to include
Save evidence	Your files	Screenshot, date, review link, exact phrase
Flag the review	Google Maps	Personal information or harassment reason
Report from profile	Business Profile or Reviews Management Tool	Same reason, accurate description
Appeal once	Reviews Management Tool	Quote the detail, state no consent
Legal request	Report Content On Google form, Google Maps	Specific URL, explanation, background
Reduce harm	Your reply and accounts	No repeated details, secure exposed data