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more on google helps burglers
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 15:58:34 -0500
------ Forwarded Message From: Brad Templeton <btm () templetons com> Organization: http://www.templetons.com/brad Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:48:51 -0800 To: David Farber <dave () farber net> Cc: <lazowska () cs washington edu> Subject: Re: [IP] google helps burglers
From: Ed Lazowska <lazowska () cs washington edu> Google has implemented a new feature where you can type someone's telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and then you will be given a map to their house. Everyone should be aware of this. Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. What a great tool for burglars!!
It is worth noting that this "new" feature has been there for at least a couple of years, and is just a combination of tools that have been on the web for almost a decade. There have been for ages sites that allow you to enter a phone number that's in the white pages and get the address, and even before google, it was always a simple cut and paste to move that address to a mapping web site, such sites also having been around for a long time. Telling Google to remove your white pages entry won't stop the scores of other sites that do this from revealing your address from your listed phone number. The question is not whether Google should connect the dots. You really want to come to a decision about whether you want a phone white pages with addresses or not. (You have always been able to opt out, though through some bizarre logic the phone companies convinced the PUC to let them charge you more to not be listed than to be listed. However there were always many tricks to avoid being listed.) Which is better -- that the data be there, but not as many people know about it (ie. only the crooks and spooks and P.I.s) or that it be very out in the open so that we are not surprised and make a decision in advance? I am not always sure of the answer to those questions. ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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