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September 21, 2007
Where Oh Where Did My Privacy Go?
Dear Larry,
Google has implemented a new feature which enables you to
type a telephone number into the search bar and be given the person’s name and
address. If you then click Map you will get a map to the person’s house. This is
very worrisome to me. Is there a way to stop Google from offering maps to our
homes?
P. F.
Dear P. F.,
It is true that Google offers this reverse-lookup service, but
it’s important that I clarify a few things. First of all, this is not a new
Google service. Google has offered this and similar services for many years now.
And, of course, mapping services (like MapQuest and Expedia) have been around
just as long if not longer.
Secondly, you have to understand that Google is not alone.
Since this information stems from public records, there are dozens of websites
that offer the same service. Also, keep in mind that this lookup service won’t
work for every phone number you might type in. For example, most unpublished
phone numbers will not produce any results.
Fortunately, you can easily opt out of Google’s reverse
telephone number lookup service by going to
www.google.com/help/pbremoval.html.
Unfortunately, you have to keep in mind that all you would be
doing is removing your telephone number from Google’s database. Countless other
websites offer the same service and plenty of them will not give you the option
to remove your telephone number. For example, when you try to opt out of
KnowX.com, they will explain that “Public records, by law, must be available
from the official public records office to anyone who requests them.
Accordingly, because individuals cannot opt out of public records databases
generally, KnowX.com does not offer individuals the opportunity to opt out of
our public records databases.”
So where does all this information come from? Not
surprisingly, it originates from the public records of the telephone companies
and to some extent other utilities and services that make their records publicly
available. In addition, there are a number of unscrupulous vendors that may sell
their customer databases to anyone who is willing to pay. Plenty of companies
exist out there whose sole purpose in life is to collect, aggregate, assimilate,
and ultimately sell personal data to the highest bidder.
Thus, this service is simply a symptom, not the actual
disease. The real problem lies with this increasingly tenuous concept we call
“privacy,” and it’s fast becoming a quaint notion from a time gone by. Some may
argue that the government is doing very little to guard individual privacy and,
in fact, is exacerbating the issue with laws such as the Patriot Act. But that’s
a topic for another column.
This is Larry Schneider, logging off.
