for devotees living in America

[Guest guest]

I got this from a professor I work with......

 

Invasion of Privacy

 

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. 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, single person, 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. This

is not a hoax; Mapquest will put a star on your house on your

street. In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to:

www.google.com < http://www.google.com> Type your phone number in the

search bar with dashes (i.e. 555-555-1212) (dashes &no spaces very

important) and hit enter. This will divulge your name and address.

You will see a link option to the right for Mapquest(click on it),

which will use the address to provide a map to your home or place of

business. If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private

information, simply click on the telephone icon next to your phone

number. Then read and click where it says I removed my

name, but it 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.