Looking for a name and address to go with that phone number that keeps showing up on Caller ID? Google, a popular Internet search engine, can help.
Two years ago, Google introduced “Google Phonebook,” a search engine that will produce a name, number and street directions to a corresponding phone number. However, the phone number must already be listed in a separate phone book, such as Whitepages.com or the Reverse Phone Directory, for Google to produce it.
Although the information Google posts is already accessible online, students at the University said they are unhappy with the thought of strangers being able to enter in their phone number, especially to get directions to their houses.
“Is that legal?” sophomore Andrew Williams asked. He added that even though the service was legal, it made him question whether or not he wanted to use Google.
“It makes me mad Google just disregards my privacy,” he said.
On the Google phone book removal page, Google states, “Google’s phone and address listings are gathered by a third-party provider, which collects telephone directories and other public records available elsewhere on the Web.”
Google spokeswoman Eileen Rodriguez said the company takes information that is already publicly available on the Web, adding that the feature has positive benefits.
“If you want directions to a retail store, and you only have the phone number, you can get explicit directions from Google,” she said.
Rodriguez said that it is possible to opt out of the phone book feature by clicking on the blue telephone icon next to the name that appears and following the directions. She pointed out that removing a name from the Google database, however, would not remove it from other online directories.
Freshman John Logue said that while he understood the positive benefits of getting directions based on a phone number, it still made him uncomfortable.
“It’s scary that someone can track me down by using only my phone number,” he said.