Crazy Hoax, or just Paranoia?

I recently received an email from a loved one that included the following text:

"Google has implemented a new feature wherein 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! You can have your phone number removed or blocked. Before forwarding this, I tested it by typing my telephone number in google.com. My phone number came up, and when I clicked on the MapQuest link, it actually mapped out where I live. Quite scary. Please look up your own number. Read below for details. Think about it--if a child, ANYONE gives out his/her phone number, someone can actually now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming. In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: _http://www.google.com/_ Type your phone number in the search bar and hit enter. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on the telephone icon next to your phone number. Removal takes 48-hours. If you are unlisted in the phone book, you might not be in there, but it is a good idea just to check. If your number does come up if you hit map, it will show you a direct map to your
house... Please forward on to friends and family.

Sue Russel
Travel/Corporate Card
Program Administrator
312-822-2390 - phone
312-817-3322 - fax"

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Regarding this..

First let me say this is a real service that Google offers. Personally I think its kind of handy. To clarify a piece of information mentioned above, if you don't want your number listed with Google you can click all day on the telephone and nothing will happen, however if you visit Google's Phonebook Removal Link - http://www.google.com/help/pbremoval.html - You can fill out a little form that will remove your number from this service, although what's the point.

I don't see the cause for alarm. If Google was not providing this service, the same end result (Mapping a location via telephone number) can be accomplished by using any of a number of phonebook databases, and either a city map or free internet mapping program.

I think the moral of the story is, that if you don't want people to know where you live by doing a reverse lookup of your telephone number what you have to do is.

1.) Keep an unlisted phone number.

and if a person really felt paranoid

2.) Don't call people that you don't want to know the location of your house. (Because even if you have an unlisted number, when you call someone with caller ID your number and name appears with the call, unless you take special measure to keep it from appearing. They could then take your name and area code and most likely find out your address...Unless of course your name was John Smith ;) So I guess you should keep an unlisted number and change your name to Johnson or Smith.

If a person is really worried about someone knowing where they live linked with their phone number that have to really really do a lot more than write Google and say, don't include me.

As an example of this, the person who sent this email originally, who since she sent it is ostensibly worried about the invasion of her privacy, is Sue Russell.

I don't know Sue Russell but just from the information that was included to me in the mass forwarded email and good ole' Google I was able to find out:

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Previously I had all the personal information I found out about Sue Russel just from her email signature without using Google's "evil" tool, but I decided to delete it in that I don't think I would want someone to do that to me. Suffice it to say that in about 20 minutes I found out her home address, where she grew up , went to school, where she lived, and included a satellite photo her house courtesy "Keyhole.com" and what her favorite activities to do in her spare time were. As well as who her internet service provider is, and what kind of computer she has... So.... If privacy is what you want, don't send out mass emails to people giving your name work phone and complete email headers. It is just too easy to find out all about you and too tempting .
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