Privacy

[Joan]

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 MapQuest, you will get a map to the person's house. Everyone should be aware of this! It's one of several nationwide reverse telephone books available on the web.

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 http://www.google.com/ Type your phone number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours.

Check your own number and although this may not apply to you if you have an unlisted number or cell phone as primary contact, but you may know someone who needs to know this.

[Guardian]

This is horrible! I understand the reason for this map search, but Google is going too far with allowing people access to street level maps (seen on the news, google has implemented cameras so that people can see street level neighborhoods) and being able to draw information from the google search bar via phone number.

I've already sent two removals, once for the house phone, and once for the office phone. Geez.

[ravenqueen]

You know, I was going to pick up some Chinchillas from someone I met on the internet just a few weeks ago. She gave me her address and I was able to google and see her street, down to the stuff in her yard (not super-clear, but still). If I had been a bad person, I could have stolen her horse or kidnapped her kids. It creeped me out that I was able to see that much detail before I had even met her. I didn't use her phone number, but it's the same principal. Too much information!

Good thing I'm a nice person, eh?

[Linda]

Thanks for the info.
All of this is an increasing invasion of privacy.

My mom lives in a small town where they get around this by leaving the phone number with the house and not changing the name when someone moves. You have to know things like someone's first ex-mother-in-law's name to look up her phone number.
I just checked and Mom's number does not appear!

[Vickie]

We had our name and number removed from the Google search last year, and when I just checked, our phone number "wasn't found". However, I went to another search engine, and our info came up on that one. Here's what Dogpile has to say about it in their privacy notice:

"You may update or delete your White Pages listing by searching the White Pages or email search to find your listing. Once you have located it, simply click the update or remove link. To verify your request, InfoSpace will send an email message to the address that you provide. Once you confirm the request, your listing will be updated or deleted. Please allow approximately 24 hours for the update to become active after we receive your confirmation." I followed these instructions, and kept getting an "internal server error" message.

I'm guessing the best way to NOT be listed in any of these search engines is to not be listed in the telephone directory?

[Helen]

Can you give me the exact directions? I don't really understand how to do it. OR better yet do you think you can send me to the removal site?

[Joan]

Enter your phone number in the blank box and click on Google Search.

[gloryaf88]

Google has had this feature for a couple of years and the courts have been in the process every since it began to make them remove it, but so far the removal tool is all that has been accomplished. I checked all the numbers that I had removed in the beginning again after seeing that this site was still working and thank god none of them were back on there.
Note to self: time to email my congressman again about this.

Thank you, Joan for alerting everyone.

[Cathy C.]

HAH !!! I entered my phone number and they have my address listed as being in 2 towns up the road.

[Helen]

I found my number it was quite disturbing to see my house....LOL cathy I found out it also depends on the way you type it in.