Google says it’s making the change because one out of five searches “is related to location,” and the company feels it’s critical to offer local information to provide the best results. The feature seems to be tailored most toward travelers: Google says that if you visit another country, it’ll automatically serve results local to where you’re visiting, then switch back again as soon as you arrive home. Before, if a traveler had kept typing in their home country’s Google domain, they may not have gotten what Google sees as ideal search results.
The change isn’t supposed to affect how Google handles legal requirements, such as the removal of specific results under Europe’s “right to be forgotten.”
In an email to The Verge, Google clarified that users will see results removed appropriate for whichever location their search is set to; however, if the country they’re physically in requires results to be removed no matter what, then results will get stripped out regardless of which location they choose.
