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I won't be naive and say they don't want it for that exact reason. I am not Google's customer and I realize this. I am getting a good service from them for free

I won't be naive and say they don't want it for that exact reason. I am not Google's customer and I realize this. I am getting a good service from them for free for their ability to use the information I am providing. We don't walk around giving everyone we see a brochure of all that information because most people don't want it. Heck even your friends don't want a lot of it. I'll give my name out to anyone who asks, my address and pictures out to those I trust. I see the Internet as a untrusted source. I don't post my address online (although I'm sure it is available somehow i.e. yellow pages or through some government service) and all the pictures and ideas I share are targeted primarily at my friends but I realize that once it is out there I shouldn't be afraid of someone else getting their hands on it.

Andrew_Quentin 15y ago
Your address may be on yell or some government website but of course the only way one can identify a certain address as being yours from the millions of addresses that yell or the government provides publicly is by knowing your real name. You said you do not post your address online, but by posting or using your real name, you are effectively posting your address also.
- reidmain 15y ago
  It definitely narrows the search quite a bit. The concern would be if you posted stuff online that alluded to your physical location as well. Or if you name is so unique that there are only a few people who share it.
- shabble 15y ago
  If you own any sort of vanity domain, "At least annually, a registrar must present to the registrant the current Whois information, and remind the registrant that provision of false Whois information can be grounds for cancellation of their domain name registration. Registrants must review their Whois data, and make any corrections." http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/wdrp.htm http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/wdrp.htm and whois is a 5-second task. I'm not sure where the 'registered by a private individual' details masking services fit into it, I assume there's some provision for personal privacy, but I'm not 100% certain. Anyone to whom I give my email address can very easily find my full name, phone number and current address. I should really check out some of those masking services.
  - reidmain 15y ago
    Some top level domains actually require you to give a valid address and you can't use a masking service. I know .ca domains work this way.

Andrew_Quentin 15y ago

Your address may be on yell or some government website but of course the only way one can identify a certain address as being yours from the millions of addresses that yell or the government provides publicly is by knowing your real name. You said you do not post your address online, but by posting or using your real name, you are effectively posting your address also.

reidmain 15y ago
It definitely narrows the search quite a bit. The concern would be if you posted stuff online that alluded to your physical location as well. Or if you name is so unique that there are only a few people who share it.
shabble 15y ago
If you own any sort of vanity domain, "At least annually, a registrar must present to the registrant the current Whois information, and remind the registrant that provision of false Whois information can be grounds for cancellation of their domain name registration. Registrants must review their Whois data, and make any corrections." http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/wdrp.htm http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/wdrp.htm and whois is a 5-second task. I'm not sure where the 'registered by a private individual' details masking services fit into it, I assume there's some provision for personal privacy, but I'm not 100% certain. Anyone to whom I give my email address can very easily find my full name, phone number and current address. I should really check out some of those masking services.
- reidmain 15y ago
  Some top level domains actually require you to give a valid address and you can't use a masking service. I know .ca domains work this way.