OT but important!

[mom2cookies]

Subject: Google Listing


This is NOT urban legend!! Kind of scary for those with children etc..

Google has implemented a new feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person's name and address. If you then hit the MapQuest link, you will get a map to the person's house.


Everyone should be aware of this! It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried my number and it came up along with the mapquest and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself, and encourage all of you to do the same. Quite scary.

Please look up your own number.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: google www.google.com

 

[robinb]

My number is unlisted and did not come up. My cell phone also didn't come up.

 

[Bob P]

Just to clarify: this is not something new. It has been available for a few years.

 

[WDW1st-timers]

Just to clarify: this is not something new. It has been available for a few years.

yup....quite a few years actually. I remember doing this about 15 years ago.

 

[disneyandme]

You can also do this on anywho.com

 

[dameodie]

I agree, this is nothing new. But if your number is unlisted, or you only have cell phones, this shouldn't be a problem anyway.

 

[jenrein]

Vonage for the win! I get no telemarketing calls, my # does not come up anywhere!

 

[Good Ol Gal]

Subject: Google Listing


This is NOT urban legend!! Kind of scary for those with children etc..

Google has implemented a new feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person's name and address. If you then hit the MapQuest link, you will get a map to the person's house.


Everyone should be aware of this! It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried my number and it came up along with the mapquest and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself, and encourage all of you to do the same. Quite scary.

Please look up your own number.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: google www.google.com

how do you block or remove it?

Ours doesn't come up but the inlaws do. I'm sure they don't want that info out there.

 

[Makdyn]

My number did not come up. I dont have it block either.

 

[EllyLovesDisney]

Thanks - my info came up, and I removed it. To pp -when you see your info there is a link to remove it at the bottom of the page

 

[latexscooter]

I've had my phone number for 3 years but it came up with someone elses information.

 

[crisi]

yup....quite a few years actually. I remember doing this about 15 years ago.

In the old fashioned world where we used the libarary, we did this in the 1970s. Its a reverse phone book.

My favorite internet era "ease of public information you may not know is public" is access to property tax records. Yes, you too can know exactly what your ex-husband's house is worth (per the tax records).

 

[bmoncher]

I've had my phone number for 3 years but it came up with someone elses information.

Ours too.. and we had the number for 4 years already!
Beth

 

[Gillian]

This type of information has been available for a long time, BUT, with the growing popularity of the internet, the dominance (sp?) of Google as a search engine, and its fairly recent addition of mapping, it's more of an issue than it used to be.

 

[LadyyRedd]

Just wondering....but how is this different than just doing a reverse lookup on the phone number, getting the address and using mapquest or whatnot to find it? If you're listed in the phone book, they could probably find you anyway. Just saying....

Kimya

 

[mom2cookies]

I understand that it has been around for awhile, but it is new to me and i'm sure new to others. Hopefully it will enlighten someone. I did not post it to cause any panic...I actually copied it from an email sent to me by a family member. Just wanted to give a heads up.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I love that feature and have used it a lot. I do not see anything sinister with it.

Seriously, I think we will all be ok.

 

[Princessbaby]

Thanks for the heads up. I removed mine with the link they provided.

 

[springandmac]

Mine comes up with the wrong name and address and I've had my number for 2 years now.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I tried mine and it doesn't come up as anything, it says that there is no match. We have our phone number listed in the phone book under another name. We decided that we didn't want to pay extra for an unpublished number so they let us pick any name we wanted to list it under.