also down the rabbit hole
I don’t want to give google my mobile number. I’m being asked for this information repeatedly when logging into my gmail account because apparently this will help keep my account more secure if google can contact me by phone when I forget my password. Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll take my chances.
All evidence indicates that google will eventually figure out my number anyway, without my help. I went down the rabbit hole last night by googling myself. I found out my maiden name, who I am friends with on facebook, what I have for sale on Etsy, who I am married to, what community center I have been a member of, as well as three former addresses and two former phone numbers. Correct on all counts. Apparently life under this rock I call home hasn’t hindered google in it’s ability to keep track of me.
So google, give it a rest. I’m not giving you my cell phone number. If you want it, you’ll have to figure it out on your own. You seem to pretty good at that.
Have you googled yourself lately? This was my first time, but I hear everyone is doing it.
62 comments on “also down the rabbit hole”
Honk at me:
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The Honking Goose 
Yeah, I gave up Google quite a while ago….they have just gotten too invasive. I use them only for very generic info I’m after when I can’t find it anywhere else, or for generic pictures when needed. We both maintain a very low profile online and we’re teaching our son (15) to do same thing….no real name on accounts, etc. It is very creepy what they can come up with though….
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I started using Bing to google stuff, just to stick it to ’em. But I still call it googling.
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I Google myself every couple of months just to keep up on myself. ;>) On a related note, here’s my anti-Google rant from a few days ago: http://mitchteemley.com/2014/10/17/ebola-czar-jimmy-fallon/
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Cheers!
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It’s a strange old world out there, isn’t it? š
Many thanks for the follow.
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And thank you for checking out the Honking Goose. š
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I’m going to Google myself. They shouldn’t be allowed to put all of your personal information on the internet like that. That’s not safe and is just wrong.
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It is a brave new world we’re living in.
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Google will eventually figure your number out, they seem to be a growing beast. Thank you for following my photo site. š
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Thanks for taking a look at the Honking Goose!
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I think that privacy died back in 1995.
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Pingback: I know how the internet works | The Honking Goose
It is quite sad but I agree, they already have so much information on you that if you can keep your number “and let them work hard for it” then so be it!
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It’s flattering that they want help from little ol’ me, but I’m just too busy…
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I think you got it on one, they will figure it out themselves soon enough!
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All signs point to yes.
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Hi from Toronto,Canada, where all the honking geese come from! Thank you for stopping by my blog. I’m wondering what a young goose like you saw in this old bird’s blog to make you follow and how you found me. I’ll stop by again to view your response and read more of your posts. And now will look up OM.
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I’m interested in the biblical Christian perspective. It differs from my own, in that I am not a Christian, though some of my values and morals may be similar. Anyway, I try to not just read from bloggers who are just like me, I like to expand my horizons by reading from people who may have a different experience and perspective.
Thanks for coming by the Honking Goose!
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they keep asking for mine too. Like you, they aren’t getting it. Too many hackers out there. I also don’t put any of my personal accounts on my cell phone (the only phone we have). My passwords are all on a zip drive and I copy/paste log-in information. Hackers copy key strokes to hack in. I’m reducing my chances of getting hacked.
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Hmm, that gives me some new ideas to ruminate on. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
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I administered a facebook account for our parks and rec pools and wanted to add some maps. When I willingly gave google the pool phone numbers for verification, they NEVER called me back…and in this case I wanted them to! Go figure.
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Oh, well that’s interesting info.
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They’re gonna take over the world I just know it. *shudder*
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How about those google cars that drive around the whole world photographing everything? It’s completely fascinating and totally creepy at the same time.
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We spotted one on a family road trip once! They’re def creepy.
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I’m absolutely with you on not giving out your real mobile number – Yahoo Mail asks for it too and I would never give it to them either.
How about inventing a mobile number? Something attractively intriguing – where the numbers spell something that amuses you – it’s not a thing that happens much here in the UK but I remember when I lived in the US lots of companies seemed to use the number/letter thing on keypads to spell a version of their name within their phone numbers.
I’ve never handed the number over – but do they phone you to authenticate it at the beginning? if they do, then forget everything I’ve just written!
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I think they do call to confirm the number. Good idea though. š
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Drat! Oh well.
I was thinking today of that insidious gathering of personal information – I remember, when I lived in the US, being told of a thing that happened during the Vietnam war. Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but this is the story that was told to me: an ice-cream company gave young people the opportunity to register for a free ice cream every year on their birthday. All they had to do was to put their date of birth and their address on the form. You can guess what’s coming – once they turned call-up age, they got conscripted. Now, I don’t know how the government gathered its information in those days and I don’t understand how they wouldn’t know people’s dates of birth already. I don’t know if it gave them addresses that they didn’t otherwise have. I don’t know. But the idea of your personal information being used in ways you don’t expect, or want, stayed with me ever since.
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Yeah, pretty powerful.
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Another commenter says they didn’t call her to confirm. So maybe not?
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GOOGLE SPIES
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With their cars, and their glasses, and their other cars…
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YES. They kill dogs and deer that are on the street while the google cars video tape
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I agree with you. It’s why I refuse to create a gmail account. I don’t have/use Facebook, and WordPress is the only social media I use – purely to share my non-personal photos. I feel that protecting my privacy is fighting a losing battle, but I will not go down without a fight š
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Sounds like you are winning at the moment.
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I gave Google my cell, they just text you a verification code when you go to log in, it’s a 2 tier protection thing, and a good one, if someone tries to hack you Google will lock your info down, the would be hacker needs the verification code that only you would have and without that code they can’t access your account.
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This is what I’m being told. I just don’t want to. *stomps feet* They can’t make me.
Are my accounts subject to being hacked? Perhaps. I’ll live with the risk for now, maybe I’ll change my mind later.
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it’s the internet world wide and not everyone who uses it does so with good intentions,Google,FaceBook,Wordpress etc any site you create an account on/with is at risk of being hacked.
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For better or for worse, I have a respect and appreciation for hackers that keeps me from fearing them.
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None of the images they have appear to be me, so, that’s one good thing!
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That is good, I agree.
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And yes, I have googled me…. š
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Find anything you didn’t know about yourself?
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There are 11 of me on Linked In and one artist by my name…….
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Apparentlyi am fund raising for s school, i might have died, and i married someone called Alonzo….
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lol – Amazing what you can find out on google, eh?
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There are also two on Facebook who aren’t me š
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The ither stuff seems to be accurate
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Ither = other
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“There is no place to hide…..there is no place to hide…..” š
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š
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I used to write for a newspaper, therefore I abstain from Googling myself. There’s no hope for me to remain any kind of anonymous…
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Ah, I see.
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Google is the worst, the absolute worst. Forget any illusions of privacy, you don’t have any. Anybody can get whatever they want from Google, almost no questions asked.
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I’d be mad if the sensitive stuff was current, thankfully it is all outdated.
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I use 2-layer security here at WordPress, which of course means that WordPress has my cell number. So far, no problems.
Nobody trusts Google these days, seems they stepped in it too many times and now giving them too much info just looks like a really bad idea. As far as searching for my name online– My real name can be a job and a half. Do you have any idea how many “Michael McMillan”s there are floating around out there? Enough that I had no trouble worrying about giving my real name here– that’s how many! You can find a needle in a haystack if you look hard enough, but it’s a trifle harder if the needle is hidden in a bunch of other needles.
Now, my user name is a trifle different. I’m it, so far as I know, so all postings you find are mine. Image search is a bit different, most of those photos aren’t mine— they’re the product of other posters on the forums I frequent. But, still listed under my user name.
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Having such a common name could be a real blessing for this very reason.
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2-layer security is a good thing. It keeps people from hacking and stealing your accounts. (IT security major over here lol). That way even if they manage to get your password, they still would have to have your phone in their hands in order to gain access to your account. Google could either text you a code or you could use Google Authenticator (an app) in order to log into your account. You can use Google Authenticator to protect your WordPress account as well. With people hacking company servers and stealing passwords a second layer of security is a very good thing. BTW, Facebook uses a similar authenticator for their 2-layer security. It is built into the Facebook App.
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BTW, it’s just a way to verify that it is really you trying to log in.
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I believe you, but I’m still not going to use my cell number for this.
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It’s so creepy how google insists on this phone number thing but I refuse every time. I have googled myself. With my infrequent surname it’s just me and a dead lady in England out there.
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I have an unusual name, too.
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