I recently received an email that read: Please Read Now! My first thought was great another one of those emails about needles on gas pumps. We all got them, members warning us to check the gas pump before we get gas, because some crazy person may have inserted a needle into the AIDS virus behind the trigger. So I opened the email to find out what new dangers there are that I am not yet aware of.
This email said:
Anyone can now access your name/address on the internet with your phone. Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 23:08:47 EDT
It’s not an internet joke or an urban legend – it’s true.
Google has implemented a new feature that allows you to
To type the phone number in the search bar and
Enter and the person will be given a name and address.
If you hit Map later, you’ll see a map giving directions to the person’s home.
Let everyone know this!
It’s a nationwide reverse telephone book.
If a child gives his phone number, now someone can look him up to find out where he/she lives. Things are safe and open and exciting.
Note that you may have a removed or blocked phone number. Tried my number and it came up with a map showing direct directions to our house. I filled out the remote form myself, and I think you all should do the same. Please look in your number. To check if a phone number is spoofed, go to: (http://www.google.com/)
Type a phone number in the search bar (ie, 555-555-1212) and hit enter.
If you want to B L O C K Google from publishing private information, simply click on the phone number and then click on the removal form. Removal takes 48-hours. Check your number. Although this may not apply to you if you do not have a phone number or cell phone as your primary contact, you may know someone who should know this. Please share this information with families and families
This is nothing new to me. Well, it may be new to google and it saves you a couple of steps, but I could look up a phone number going back several years. I want to use sites like anywho.com, zabasearch.com, switchboard.com and talking phone book online. Now it’s easier for a predator to get directions to your house. Instead of going to the website to convert, look up the phone number to get your information and then go to the map later for directions. This is an old question and all the google files are saved by the predator and it’s like two minutes.
People can remove their information from the list and I would encourage any child to do so. No matter how you know this, there is no guarantee that a predator won’t have your data. There are very few websites that will sell your information to anyone. There are sites like Intellectus.com, Peoplesearch.com and more all over the internet. If you are determined enough to be a predator, they will pay anywhere from $10.00 to $20.00 to get a full report on you. This report will contain information such as where you have lived for the last 10 years or the phone numbers of your neighbors. Each report depends on how much a person is willing to pay to get your personal information. This problem is not only when it comes to predators, but identity theft poses a threat.
Although I knew this in no way was it a new problem I was forced to do so that I knew people. You may think that all your private and private information is safe, but not for long. Just know what anyone ever wants to know about you, as long as they have Internet access, a few dollars, and nothing but time on their hands.
