Picture me as a stalker, or a wife-beater, or someone who preys on the innocent and vulnerable within our society.

I have just been given a tool, by a billion-dollar internet company mind you, to help me locate my prey.

I received an e-mail today from my wife who is a social worker. She keeps battered wives, victims of rape, stalking and other unspeakable crimes, safe from those who have perpetrated them at her job in Yellow Medicine County.

The e-mail describes the “reverse telephone book.”

Google has implemented a new feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person’s name and address. If you then hit the map feature, you will get a map to the person’s house. Everyone should be aware of this! It’s a nationwide reverse telephone book.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried my number and it came up along with the map and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself and encourage all of you to do the same. Quite scary.

From the beginning, Google’s goal has been to  make the phone book obsolete. That has been part of their business strategy from almost the launch of their company, certainly as they looked for other ways to become more than just the “search engine” they began as.

However, I didn’t think they would take it to the point of endangering lives. It doesn’t take much computer skill for a person to find out quite a bit of personal information about an individual. We are in the “information age” but that shouldn’t come at the expense of our children’s well-being.

Again, take the time to fill out the form. If people want to get a hold of you they should have to work a little bit to do so.

Please look up your own number.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: google 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 your telephone number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours.

Check your own number and although this may not apply to you if you have an unlisted number or cell phone as primary contact, but you may know someone who needs to know this.

Please share this information with friends and FAMILY.

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