3 ms·

This seems like a double-edged sword. By going through this process I am confirming for Google my physical location so they can map it in a database. It may n

This seems like a double-edged sword. By going through this process I am confirming for Google my physical location so they can map it in a database. It may not be publicly accessible information but I would bet 500 star-bucks that it is available to some parties and they are probably paying for access to this hypothetical service.

jonfw 4y ago
If you're a homeowner in the US you've already lost this battle, but if you're a renter it may be a fair point
- LinuxBender 4y ago
  Agreed. There is a way around that as a homeowner but it may impact the property taxes and that is to buy the land in a trust not named by the individual. One can still determine the owner but there are more steps involved and this may result in higher property taxes varies by state.
aix1 4y ago
What would be the value of such a database, even if it existed? P.S. From reading the article, an email address if the only piece of PII that the form asks for. If you're really that concerned, I guess using a throwaway email address could be an easy option?
- LinuxBender 4y ago
  using a throwaway email address could be an easy option? Maybe, assuming Google/Gmail does not run one through many steps or require them to use another google email or phone number to activate it. I've had mixed results with Gmail. Sometimes they let me create an account without other existing data and sometimes they don't. It could be that they keep track of what IP's were used to utilize existing accounts and might just silently map the new account to the old one. That was the entire purpose of creating Google in the first place, ala project birds of a feather created at Stanford SRI.
  - aix1 4y ago
    The article doesn't say, so it's unclear whether Google Maps requires a gmail address. If it doesn't (as I'm guessing is likely), https://temp-mail.org/en/ https://temp-mail.org/en/
shapefrog 4y ago
If you have gone to the effort of your home ownership being anonymous you know how to contact google via a lawyer / agent and have it done. Otherwise you owning the property is already a public record.
- LinuxBender 4y ago
  Not everyone's name is on their property. This is most common with public figures, celebrities but is also common among people that have stalkers and others bothering them at home. There are a few ways to do this but the most common is to have a company purchase the property and place it into a trust not named after the individual. This can have tax implications in some states but the aforementioned people may find that as an acceptable trade-off.
  - shapefrog 4y ago
    And if you have done that then verifying your name etc is of no use to google - the legal owner of the property - the company / trust would have to make the request.

jonfw 4y ago

If you're a homeowner in the US you've already lost this battle, but if you're a renter it may be a fair point

LinuxBender 4y ago
Agreed. There is a way around that as a homeowner but it may impact the property taxes and that is to buy the land in a trust not named by the individual. One can still determine the owner but there are more steps involved and this may result in higher property taxes varies by state.

aix1 4y ago

What would be the value of such a database, even if it existed? P.S. From reading the article, an email address if the only piece of PII that the form asks for. If you're really that concerned, I guess using a throwaway email address could be an easy option?

LinuxBender 4y ago
using a throwaway email address could be an easy option? Maybe, assuming Google/Gmail does not run one through many steps or require them to use another google email or phone number to activate it. I've had mixed results with Gmail. Sometimes they let me create an account without other existing data and sometimes they don't. It could be that they keep track of what IP's were used to utilize existing accounts and might just silently map the new account to the old one. That was the entire purpose of creating Google in the first place, ala project birds of a feather created at Stanford SRI.
- aix1 4y ago
  The article doesn't say, so it's unclear whether Google Maps requires a gmail address. If it doesn't (as I'm guessing is likely), https://temp-mail.org/en/ https://temp-mail.org/en/

shapefrog 4y ago

If you have gone to the effort of your home ownership being anonymous you know how to contact google via a lawyer / agent and have it done. Otherwise you owning the property is already a public record.

LinuxBender 4y ago
Not everyone's name is on their property. This is most common with public figures, celebrities but is also common among people that have stalkers and others bothering them at home. There are a few ways to do this but the most common is to have a company purchase the property and place it into a trust not named after the individual. This can have tax implications in some states but the aforementioned people may find that as an acceptable trade-off.
- shapefrog 4y ago
  And if you have done that then verifying your name etc is of no use to google - the legal owner of the property - the company / trust would have to make the request.