How Agents Turn Google's Data Into Your Name and Address.

The Linkages Between User Context and Search Agents

From what we know thus far, if a Google Search agent has access to Gmail, Photos, and Google Calendar, it could use that access to add a “personal context” to an AI Mode query. But that is very different from providing an AI Mode response that can identify the user based on an anonymous query. Google did not make a claim about AI Mode agents’ ability to identify authors of anonymous queries; and, although Google’s announcement explained that account contexts, such as Gmail and Photos, would be used to inform AI Mode responses, it did not explain how that context could become personally identifying information.

To a large extent, the answer to this question is also unanswered because Google does not explain how AI Mode agents will distinguish between innocent queries and those that contain clues to sensitive traits. While it is true that AI Mode is meant to understand personal context and infer intent, Google does not explain the safeguards it is implementing to prevent AI Mode agents from inferring sensitive information (i.e., identifying queries for sexual health topics, drug-related illnesses, and mental health concerns) from the content of ordinary search requests.

Although Google Search AI Mode is still in its rollout, the company reported that it is already attracting more than one billion monthly users worldwide, a figure Google reports just one year after AI Mode's debut, with the feature now available in nearly 200 countries and territories across 98 languages. This suggests that Google Search AI Mode is already reaching a significant portion of the Internet-searching population and that a significant amount of personal data is likely being collected and processed.

What Can Google Search Agents Actually Do Now?

Retaining Conversational Context

One of AI Mode’s most basic capabilities is to “understand the context of the conversation, allowing you to ask follow-up questions and refine your search based on previous responses.” This is a key feature of generative AI, and the ability to retain conversational context allows AI-powered search to act more like a discussion with a human than like a series of independent queries, making it easier to explore a topic in depth without having to repeat information at each step.

Multiple Customized Search Agents

Another key feature of Google Search is that “you can create, customize and manage multiple search agents that can work independently or together to find the information you need.” Google lists Search agents’ capabilities as both providing answers andperforming actions, and it allows users to customize how those capabilities are used through the creation of multiple Search agents, from custom search queries to requesting particular products or services.

Information-Gathering Search Agents

Within the realm of providing answers, Google calls one of its AI agents an “information agent.” This search agent can be tasked with continuing to gather information on a topic long after the user’s initial manual search, and, as Google puts it, “it will keep searching and monitoring on your behalf in the background.” The information agent then scans its sources for changes that match the user’s instructions, combines its findings into an update, and notifies the user. This functionality marks a significant shift from the traditional search experience; instead of performing search queries to get immediate results, users can now instruct an AI search agent to keep scanning and notify them only when new information surfaces.

Google’s May 19, 2026 Announcement

Google announced its latest capabilities for Google Search on May 19, 2026, stating that Google Search is “more powerful than ever, with a comprehensive suite of new features designed to help you find information, get things done, and make more informed decisions, faster and with less effort.” Among the company’s highlights:

• “Introducing AI Mode, powered by the latest Gemini models, which allows you to have natural conversations with Google Search, ask follow-up questions, and see information presented in an intuitive way.”
• “Create, customize, and manage multiple Search agents that can independently gather information, make recommendations, and even take action for you.”

Where Could a Google Agent Get Your Address?

Google’s Public Web-Crawling Capabilities

Google’s Search agents gather the same kinds of information that have always fueled Search, albeit at a much more granular level. According to Google, “an information agent monitors the web for changes based on your instructions, checking sources like blogs, news publications, and social media posts.” Google also notes that its Search agents “have access to real-time information on stock prices, product deals, sports scores, and other data from across Google’s network.”

By design, Google’s Search agents can build “a dashboard for a continuing project” or “a tracker that you can revisit any time without starting from scratch.” A custom-built tracker may include a summary of customer reviews, specific locations from Google Maps, the local weather, and other pertinent information. As the user interacts with Search, this “continuing project” or “tracker” will only grow, and as it becomes more comprehensive, the Search agent will gain more insights into the user’s preferences, and their requests will become more and more specific.

As the capabilities of Google’s AI grow, it stands to reason that search agents will be able to utilize more information sources as well. While Google has not disclosed the types of information sources that it considers “relevant” for providing a a better understanding of intent in AI Mode, it would hardly be surprising if search agents would be able to access the user’s Search history, Google Chrome activity, and advertising profile, all of which are known to provide Google’s AI with a comprehensive view of the user’s online behavior.

What About the User’s Personal Data?

While some Google Search agents rely on publicly available information, others have access to the user’s private data. Google states, “Connect your Gmail, Photos, and Calendar with AI Mode for a more personalized and helpful experience.” This personal connection means that, unlike a search agent that identifies your preferences from your interactions and search history, an AI-powered search agent with access to Gmail, Photos, and Calendar knows information about your identity and your interests that is not available online.

How Does AI Mode Find Your Address?

So, assuming the truth of the premise that Google Search agents can identify your address, how does this process work? One way that search agents can identify you is by cross-referencing publicly available information that, by itself, may not identify a single individual. This process is a form of re-identification, and it has been used by activists, political consultants, and state-sponsored actors to identify individuals based on their digital footprints. For example, a search agent might be able to identify the author of an anonymous query if it can match the query’s content with a social media post from a user’s verified account, or if it can combine the query’s time of day, geographic location, and subject matter with search and browsing history data to infer the user’s identity.

While this sounds complicated, this is exactly what Google’s generative AI models are trained to do, connecting disparate and often-hidden dots to identify a single, overarching pattern. This means that search agents can identify a user’s identity and address even when the user thinks they are conducting their search anonymously. If a search agent is able to identify the author of an anonymous query as the owner of a specific Google account, it can then match the query with the data in that account. If the account contains personal information such as an address, email, and telephone number, then the search agent has access to that information and can deliver it to whoever is monitoring AI-powered search queries.

What Should You Do if a Search Agent Is Monitoring Your Queries?

Unfortunately, there is nothing that you can do to prevent a search agent from tracking your AI-powered search queries if your Google account is connected to AI Mode. One available step is to disconnect connected apps from AI Mode; users can also manage or delete Search Services History. But even if your Google account is not connected to AI Mode, search agents will still be able to identify you if they can connect your query to your identity and address through other means.

As it is clear, while this may be the first time you have heard about Google search agents being able to identify the authors of anonymous queries, it is by no means the first time that AI has been used to uncover sensitive information. From using AI to reverse-engineer a person’s real-life identity based on their digital fingerprint to using AI to predict a person’s sexual orientation based on the frequency of their visits to a particular set of locations, AI has proven its capacity to find and use information that the person it is tracking thinks is well-hidden.

Todd Spodek and the attorneys at Spodek Law Group handle federal cases of this kind from New York, Brooklyn, Queens and Los Angeles.

What May Google Share When It Calls or Books?

Another set of new features for Google Search is the ability of AI-powered search agents to perform actions on the user’s behalf. According to Google, its new AI search agents “can compare current pricing and availability for local services in your area,” provide links to “book with supported providers directly in Search,” and contact businesses “at the touch of a button, and even for specific categories including home repair, beauty, pet care, and more.”

While Google highlights its focus on privacy and security throughout its announcement, it does not specify what information it may share with local businesses and providers when search agents “call and book” them on the user’s behalf. Google does not say whether business calls reveal the user’s identity, address, contact details, or even inferred preferences and needs. Google has not specified whether it transcribes agent-initiated business calls, how long it keeps records of these calls, or what it does with these records.

If Google does disclose personal information when AI-powered search agents contact local businesses and providers, this could pose a significant risk for many users who use Google Search and who may not wish for AI-powered search agents to reveal their personal information. For example, users who conduct anonymous queries for medical services, mental health services, or financial services may be relying on these services not to reveal their personal information to the providers they contact. If Google is sharing the users’ identity and address with these providers, then it means that the users’ anonymity is compromised and that the information they think they are keeping private is known to these providers. While it is possible that Google is only sharing information with businesses and providers when it believes that the user is willing to disclose such information, this is still a major risk for users who think that they can keep their identity, address, and contact details private.

What Should I Do if a Google Search Agent Shares My Address?

Given the potential for Google Search agents to identify and share users’ identities and addresses, many users who rely on Google Search should be aware of the risks of conducting AI-powered search queries and who are looking to protect their privacy should be prepared to take the necessary steps if their identity and address is revealed. If you are worried about your privacy, you can take the following steps to mitigate the risks of using AI-powered search agents:

• Avoid searching for services, products, and other information that could reveal your identity and address when using AI-powered search.
• Avoid using AI-powered search if you are in a situation in which you need to keep your identity and address private.
• Be aware that, while you can disconnect your Google account from AI Mode, this does not guarantee that search agents won’t be able to identify your identity and address.
• If you believe that your identity and address has been revealed, go to the My Activity page in your Google Account to review and delete your Search history, browsing activity, and other data Google has stored.
• If your identity and address is revealed to a business or provider, contact them immediately and request that they delete your information from their records.

Can I Control What Google Agents Keep About Me?

Although Google explicitly says that “it’s up to you whether and when you enable connected apps to your AI Mode experience,” it does not detail the scope of its control. For example, it is not clear how frequently and how many times a search agent will seek permission to use a data source it is entitled to, and it is not clear how long a search agent can retain permission to use a particular data source.

Although, like all search queries and interactions with AI, the history of each interaction with Google AI is likely to be subject to the existing, standard-form “Search” terms of service, that is by itself insufficient to protect the user’s privacy. This is because, as established above, AI Mode operates on a fundamentally different principle than standard search. In standard search, the history of the interaction is based on what the user inputs into the search bar, and Google can then provide “more relevant results for you, your preferences, and what is happening around the world.” While this is generally not a problem for most users, this is not how AI Mode operates.

In AI Mode, the interaction with Google AI is not a unidirectional one. Here, the interaction is bidirectional, and the AI is more concerned with a data-collection task, with the goal of analyzing the user’s input to identify the user’s identity and address, and the user’s preferences and needs. Therefore, in AI Mode, the history of the interaction is much more important than the search history of a standard query, as it allows the AI search agent to build a comprehensive profile based on each interaction.

When this profile is passed through Google’s generative AI, it can identify patterns that may reveal information such as a user’s home address, phone number, and email address. This means that search agents can effectively “connect” disparate data points (e.g., location history, browsing history, and social media activity) and use that information to provide a highly customized experience for the user. If a user has a connected account, search agents can then use this account to authenticate the user’s identity and match a query with the user’s real name, address, and other personal information.

How Much Data Do Search Agents Keep About Users?

Although, as noted above, the prompt for each AI-powered search query and the results it yields are subject to the existing terms and conditions of Google Search, Google has not detailed how search agents maintain their own database of user-supplied data. For example, it is not clear whether users’ search agents store a list of their requests and the dates they requested them, or whether they can specify retention periods for their information-gathering tasks. For example, when a search agent collects information from the web in the background, how long does Google store the information gathered? And are the logs of the search agent’s interactions with providers, merchants, and other third parties disclosed to the users?

Another question Google hasn’t answered is whether users can delete a search agent’s task history. In standard search, users can delete search results and other data about themselves. However, in AI Mode, the process is entirely different. AI Mode operates on the premise that the search agent is “understanding” a search query and responding based on the user’s preferences and needs. Therefore, if the user wants to modify what a search agent remembers, can the user delete an interaction and essentially “tell” the agent to disregard it? Or will Google store information in its database regardless of whether it is used in subsequent AI Mode responses?

Can I See Who Googled Me or Remove My Address?

Google’s new “AI Mode” and other search agent features do not seem to significantly affect how users search on Google, which is expected given that conventional links to the results that Google AI gathers are continuing to play a role in how search agents deliver search results. If you can still see who is Googling you or remove your address from Google’s database, this is a good sign, given the potential for misuse on Google Search AI.

Identifying and Removing Personal Information

Regarding identifying who search for you or removing your information from Google, unfortunately, Google’s announcement does not address how to protect privacy, so we cannot say whether AI-powered searches will impact these possibilities in the future. If Google is deploying the ability to connect AI search results to your identity, then it must also be providing the corresponding capabilities to protect that information.

However, Google’s announcement was completely silent on these points, which might suggest that Google is not prioritizing privacy when developing AI Search. While this is not necessarily true, at the very least, it means that AI is the future of search but does not mean that privacy is part of the equation.

The Potential for Overstepping Privacy Boundaries with AI-Powered Search Agents

Given the potential for misuse, users will have to be cautious in how they use AI-powered search queries. In addition, as established above, as search agents get smarter and smarter, there is a heightened risk of misuse, particularly for those who are looking for specific individuals, such as in cases of litigation, law enforcement, and espionage. If AI-powered search agents can connect public records (e.g., social media activity and professional credentials) to addresses, then those who are skilled at using these search agents can use search agents to put target people in their crosshairs. And unfortunately, it is not just about finding the person, but rather using an AI-powered search agent to connect their data and to determine their identity, gender, location, age, interests, beliefs, and other pertinent personal characteristics.

Furthermore, even when search agents are used to find a specific individual, they can misidentify them, or even do so intentionally. This is a major risk for anyone who wants to maintain a positive reputation online. If someone wants to remove your address from Google Search, they could use an AI search agent to do so, or even use an AI search agent to do so by misidentifying someone else in your place. It is also not clear whether Google is using a mechanism that can keep information current in AI search results, so it is not clear if search agents can confirm stale, and thereby incorrect, personal information.

Also, there is not much to be said about the capabilities of search agents to find and confirm sensitive personal information about others, which could potentially reveal private information about someone’s family, friends, and work colleagues. It is also unclear whether there is an option to opt-out of search agents using publisher content in their synthesis results, which means that personal information could be shared on the web in ways that are not sanctioned by the publishers who published it.

Speak With a Federal Defense Lawyer

If you are dealing with any part of what this article describes, the next step is a conversation with a lawyer who handles these cases. Spodek Law Group is a second generation criminal defense firm practicing since 1976, representing clients nationwide from offices in New York, Brooklyn, Queens and Los Angeles. Call 212-300-5196 to speak with our team.