I tend to think that this is paranoia. Why would it matter if a child gave
out a phone number?
The current preoccupation with paedophilia misses one vital point. Most
people who are molested and abused are abused by people known well to them.
Family, friends of the family and people in positions of power over children
tend to be the abusers. These people tend to know where the child lives.
The "Random Stranger" and the message "don't go with a stranger miss the
point by a huge distance. There will always be the newsworthy exception.
But these are exceptions, and are usually spur of the moment incidents.
That poor child some years ago from (I think) Wokingham, Mark Tyldesly
(spoiling?) at a fairground, for example. The high profile girl who was
abducted by a man in a van while on a picnic with her family. That has
always been with us, and will always be with us.
But, if we are to go down this tack, made popular by the mass media because
grief and righteous indignation sells papers and advertising, we need to be
clear on the facts.
One relevant one here is "Is the data capable of identifying a living
individual?"
I seem to be ranting. I think it is worth ranting over this because we need
a calm perspective over such things.
I have a database I have bought legitimately that includes the UK electoral
roll. I have found a long lost colleague by vaguely recalling his wife's
name and knowing his forename. Extracting that data and running queries on
it gave me high probability matches. Amazingly they are still married after
30 years, ands I have found him. Is that not more intrusive?
Oh yes. I claim the "Domestic Purposes Exemption"
-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brenda Scourfield
Sent: 24 February 2005 14:48
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [data-protection] No US DP Laws
I was mailed this today - it doesn't work for UK numbers.
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!
Note that 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 (i.e. 555-555-1212) 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. 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. If your number does come up if you hit
map,it will show you a direct map to your house...
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