Google 'profile cards' will let you control what people see when they search for you

[Karlston]

Google 'profile cards' will let you control what people see when they search for you

Google is bringing public profile cards to everyone

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

 

Google's 'knowledge panel' cards appear at the top of the results page when you search for well-known people. Perform a search for Barack Obama, for instance, and you'll see a summary of information pulled in from Wikipedia, some key pieces of information, links to social media profiles, and more.

 

Now it seems that Google plans to give everyone a similar profile card. The cards will be customizable, so it will be possible to control just what people are able to see about you when they perform a search for your name.

 

Although no official announcement has been made about this yet, Android Police stumbled across three Google pages that talk about the cards and these features they will offer. The profile cards differ from celebrities' knowledge panels in that they are customizable, and could be considered replacements for profiles on the now-dead Google+.

 

While the cards haven't rolled out flobally, Google has already given access to some parts of the world. On one of its support pages, Google explains that: "This feature is only available to some people in India who set their language to English. This feature isn't available yet on desktop."

 

The support pages explain that those who have access to the profile card feature can edit their card via their mobile phone. Google explains that you simply need to visit google.com, sign into your account, search for 'Edit my search card' and then tap 'Edit'.

Personalized public profiles

Profile cards will not only be customizable, they will be optional. Unlike for celebrities, Google will not automatically create card for individuals – and the company also says that it will be possible to delete them should you change your mind about having one.

 

It appears that content will be vetted as Google explains that certain language and content is not acceptable. Importantly, Google also stresses that it "doesn't guarantee that your card will show up on Google Search". The company adds: "The more info you provide in your card, the more likely it will show up in Google Search results".

 

It's not clear quite when this feature will spread to the rest of the world, or if it will remain mobile-only, but hopefully Google will have something to say about it soon.

 

 

Source: Google 'profile cards' will let you control what people see when they search for you