Whether you want it or not, you have an online presence today. Many individuals and organisations search for you and your business on Google. Now when someone searches for you or your business name on Google, what do they come across? If the results are poor, this may raise concerns.

With Google's recent privacy updates for 2025, we now have more control over the information in our search results. It allows you to manage your Google digital footprint more effectively.

The new "Results About You" Hub

Google has overhauled its "Results about you" tool to make it easier for you to protect your personal information online. It represents a significant improvement in functionality that can benefit you.

It actively scans search results for personal information and alerts you when it discovers details such as your phone number, email address, or physical location.

Setting up the tool is easy.

Click here.

Setting up this privacy tool is straightforward and worth the minute it takes:

1. Visit the Results About You page through your Google account. Yes, you need a Google account.
2. Click "Get started" to enable the tool
3. Enter your full name and any other names you use professionally. A woman, for example, might put in her married and maiden name.
4. Add your personal contact information, including home address, phone number, and email addresses
5. Verify your information is correct and set up notification preferences
6. Confirm and save your settings

Once configured, Google will continuously monitor its search results for the personal information you've specified; soon, you will receive notifications when something is found.

Google will place the information in your hub for review. It also maintains a comprehensive overview of all your current and previously approved removal requests in one convenient location to monitor.

New Removal Process

I like the improvement to the removal process, which makes it significantly easier to request the removal of personal information directly from search results.

Next to each listing are three dots. Clicking on these dots will give you three clear options.

1. "It shows my info"—Use this to remove sensitive information like phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, credit card details, and login credentials. It's a nightmare if your credit card details are online.
2. "I have a legal removal request" - For content that violates Google's policies.
3. "It's outdated, and I want to request a refresh"—This is to update outdated information.

Refreshing Outdated Content

For many retailers, outdated information can be as problematic. You may have moved locations, changed your business hours, or updated your contact information. Now, Google's new refresh option addresses this issue quickly.

What I also like about it is that previously, we had to wait for Google's regular crawling schedule, which could take weeks. Now, by clicking the three dots next to an outdated search result and selecting the refresh option, you can immediately prompt Google's systems to recrawl the page and retrieve the most current information.

This feature is particularly valuable for retailers who have recently:

• Relocated their shop
• Updated their business hours
• Changed contact information
• Refreshed their product offerings
• Rebranded their business

Why This Matters for Australian Retailers

For retailers in Australia, maintaining accurate online information is essential for customer trust and business operations. Outdated store locations, incorrect opening hours, or exposed personal contact details can lead to customer frustration and lost sales.

Beyond Google: Comprehensive Online Privacy

While Google's new tools are powerful, remember that they only affect Google Search results. The original content still exists on websites unless you contact those owners directly. For comprehensive online privacy management, consider these additional steps:

1. Regularly audit your business listings across all platforms (Google Business Profile, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc.)
2. Contact directories and websites directly to update or remove outdated information
3. Consider using a professional reputation management service for ongoing monitoring. I have never used these services, but I am told that Incogni is a good service for a person, costing about $8 US/per month. If there is enough interest, I will track down another group deal.

The Future of Online Privacy

As privacy concerns grow worldwide, search engines and online platforms will likely offer more advanced tools for managing personal information. In this context, Google's 2025 privacy updates mark a significant step towards empowering users to control their online presence better.

Have you ever been locked out of a crucial business system? For many business owners, this becomes a reality when they overlook a critical step: notify their POS provider about a change in business ownership. As a veteran of retail POS systems, I've seen how this simple oversight can spiral into major issues. But here's the surprising truth: a few minutes of your time can prevent this headache. 

The Importance of Timely Business Ownership Transfer Notification

A Cautionary Tale: The Unexpected Support Call

Picture this: Our support team receives a call from an unfamiliar voice requesting assistance for a shop we know well. They ask for sensitive customer data, raising immediate red flags. Until we are notified of a change in ownership, the shop's ownership belongs to the previous owner. This scenario has occurred several times.

Good Reasons for Prompt Business Notification of a change in ownership

1. Free Training Opportunities: We offer complimentary training for new owners during a retail business ownership change - why should they miss out?

2. Licence Ownership Transfer: Until officially notified, the POS licence remains with the previous owner, potentially leaving the old owners liable for new costs.

3. Data Security and Privacy: Ensuring only authorised individuals access sensitive information is crucial during a POS ownership change.

4. Legal Implications: Updating POS ownership information can lead to contractual disputes and legal liabilities. The law is quite clear that you must notify all the stakeholders in your business.  

Ownership Transfer Process

- Complete and submit the required documentation here.

- If a valid email address is on the form, both the Releasor and Acceptor will receive an email confirmation from us once the change of ownership has been completed.
 

Benefits of Proper Notification

By following the correct retail POS system update procedures, you ensure:

• Uninterrupted access to support services
• Proper transfer of licence ownership
• Access to complimentary training for new owners
• Maintenance of data security and privacy
• Compliance with legal and contractual obligations

FAQ: Common Concerns About POS Ownership Changes

Q: How soon should I notify you of a business ownership transfer? 

A: Ideally, at least two weeks before the official transfer date.

Q: Will the POS system be unavailable during the transfer? 

A: No

Q: Do staff need to be retrained after the ownership change? 

A: We recommend discussing the changeover with our support staff as the new owner and the staff will now need to get the system working according to how the new management needs.

Q: Are there any fees associated with ownership transfers? 

A: If the lawyers do it, their time will be charged. If you do, we will have no charges.

Conclusion

A POS ownership change is a critical step in ensuring the smooth operation of your shop. It only takes a few minutes.

As a business owner, you likely want to participate in online conversations. However, you often want to protect your privacy and anonymity. The problem is that many sites expect you to provide your profile photo. Then, with modern search methods, it will only take a few seconds for someone to find you using search engines' face detection once they have your profile image.

So, what many people do today is use a synthetic profile picture. This face allows them to participate online anonymously with a plausible face that often has features similar to theirs while keeping their real identity private. Today, these faces look convincing but don't belong to any actual person. I used it to join an online Zoom conference where I knew an old girlfriend might come, and I did not want to take a chance that she would talk to me. 

How to get one

There are many such services. The one I recommend is here.

I put my face in there, and out come many that look like what I want. Then, I pick one to use.

Conclusion

An AI-generated face lets you seamlessly blend into online communities related to your business without sacrificing your privacy. Be present online while staying anonymous.

Here is a famous picture of the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showing his Facebook likes here.

What happened is that when people blew up the picture where I put the arrow in what they found was this.

What he had done is put some tap over the camera and microphone of his laptop. Obviously despite having some of the best I am sure computer security professionals in the world, to check his computer he still feels he needs to do this too.

It is certainly the sign of the times as privacy has never been more under threat as it is now with computers and the internet. Although the Australian goverment with both sides approval has taken admirable action on private companies abusing people'e privacy, it certainly has expanded dramaticly the power of its own abuse of privacy again with both sides approval. 

Now if you're concerned what kind of data is collected by Microsoft in its latest Windows 10 at least there is something you can do to increase your privacy.

The problem is that Windows 10 requires to send information to Microsoft so that it can serve us better. Now where do we draw the line on what we are prepared to give will be different for everyone?

If you are concerned about this, I suggest that you download this free program and checkout the trade off between what you need and what information you are sending that you feel  goes too far. It is available here.

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