How My Ex-Boyfriend In Europe Found My Home Address Online
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Google never asked me if they could publish photos of my home address - and invade my privacy with their online 'Street View' maps!
I was chatting on Messenger recently, to an ex-boyfriend who now lives overseas. He asked me which Suburb of Sydney I was living in. "Do you live near the Football field?"..."Yes I said, in ____ Avenue, it's a cute little white house!". I thought nothing of this, since he was a world away, but what he said next left me totally shocked! He said "And do you have a red mail-box with a tall tree next to it, and a double driveway at the front, leading to your front steps?"..."Yes" I said - confused about how he might have guessed this. "And do you have a red-brick house nextdoor? With a boat parked out the front?", "Yes" I said. "You must live in Number 12 ___ Avenue" he said. Within minutes this man had home address. And I was left dumbfounded!
How did he do it? He'd given me my full home address when he's been living on the other side of the world for years! I hadn't told him the number of my house, or even described it in detail. What was going on? He had used a readily available virtual Map called "Street View" at Google Maps. He was viewing my front steps on his computer at that very moment, while I was at home inside.
I held off calling him a stalker until he told me about this online map! And I was really freaked out when he told me about it! How could Google become 'Big Brother' watching over my house, and putting clear and close photos of it on the internet? Surely not! I'd had absolutely no idea this was infact the case, and not an isolated one either.
I went to the website and typed in my parents address, and there was their house up close too (and they live on the opposite side of Australia). I could see their cars out front, that their flowers in bloom were pink, and take a virtual walk down their street, past their neighbours houses. I had seen Google Earth before, but nothing like this, it's a clear ground-level view. You can actually quite easily 'turn around' (it's as if you're walking or driving), view my street from the right and the left, turn the corner and follow me all the way to work if you wanted to! Freaky!
I was also shocked that it appeared to take such photos, someone would have had to drive up and down every street to take them - and I hadn't known about it, or been given the option to 'opt out' of this service!
I am a single woman, and what's not stopping my ex-boyfriend from oneday turning up on my doorstep, or any other person for that matter! Thankgoodness I don't have enemies as they could probably plan a perfect place to hide and pounce on me between my place and my work car-park if they took a good look at the maps!
I live in a suburban area - the streets here lead to other streets, there's no business operating in the adjoining roads - Why do they deem it neccessary to publish the homes we own, in full view for anyone, on the internet? Even objectively it seems uneccessary! How many people say to their partner - Hey honey, lets put some photos of our family home up on the internet with our address! I don't think so.
I phoned my parents and told them about this, and they were just as shocked as I was. I wonder how many people don't know about it, and how may ex-husbands who use it looking for their wives, or criminals to plan their crimes! Potentially it seems dangerous, but in my case I see it as an invasion of privacy, and am waiting for a reply to my request to Google to take the photos of my house off their website!
Want to see if Google has photographed your street yet? Google Maps 'Street View' is here: http://maps.google.com.au/help/maps/streetview/
I still find it shocking and hard to believe! Google Street View - I want out!
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Thankyou BkCreative, it's quite a shock when you see pictures of your house online! So many people maybe unaware of it too, yes 'Good grief!' and thanks for sharing!
wow!that's crazy!I didn't know you could do that.I'm gonna check the site out and see if there's a pic of my street :)
Great hub. I was aware of Google Street view, it was released about a year or so ago in Australia. I wouldn't worry too much about it as the photos are not live, rather a snapshot at a particular time when Google roamed the streets. But you are right, it can be an invasion of privacy. I use it every now and then to look at properties I am interested in purchasing - it gives you a feel for the area as sometimes the photos on the real estate websites can be misleading.
P.S. thanks for answering many of my requests :)
WOW!! I just knew this! gona try on google map first. See how is the outcome!! Freaky. -_-!!!
Yes I agree, quite freaky!
as far as I know you can't take pictures of private property and post it without written consent from the owner, you should check with a legal adviser
Wow! That's outrageous! Google should never have published those. Anybody can find you on the internet nowadays and it's really scary.
Yes I agree it's quite outrageous!
becarefull these days there perves just wanting to find new bait.
Yes, I think you need to keep private about your street name etc when you start dating, at least until you know the other person better because them being able literally 'look up' your house is kind of creepy!
Yes it is scary but i think google was trying to help people to find a house they already were heading to but they are making it easier to go "Hey that's the house!" and for someone to follow you from your home to work is crazy cause google would have to be stalking you themselves they drive by your house at the roads speed limit and a computer snaps the picks along the way. I had googled my house and there was a car park out front but that has not been there for more than half a year ago and had been sitting there awhile when it was so the last time they past my house was a long time ago. But yes this is scary but I'm sure google would help to remove it for you, cause it is invading and watch out for your Ex for him to call u from across the world and want to google street you at the same time is very scary.
Thanks for your comments BWarr.
I just wish I would have known when Google ground was taking photos of my house... I would have mooned them from my LR window..... now there is a thought. LOL
When satalites are powerful enough to read a newsprint in your back yard - privacy is a thing of the past. Google Earth is 1970's technology.
Next!
Haha, yes if only you knew when they were coming to photograph! Thanks for your feedback on this topic Neil.
...Sorry to say this to you but...You found out about thid NOW!?!?!
Seriously, we live in thr 21th century, of course the most unbelievble things are going to happen. Google maps has existed for a few years now, and it is actually a pretty cool tool. For stalkers...not such a good oppertunity if thier target lives in a unknown small town in scandinavia for example.
Wow, outrageous but then again most of us are watched with out our permission all the time.
Still google should not post pictures of non commercial areas.
Yes I agree QudsiaP1.
wow it must have been freaky seeing your house on line...creepy stalker craziness...
Yes, and it's still there! Have to be so careful! It was totally creepy!
Gosh just how scary was this. It is a fact of life these days that we are unable to do anything without 'big brother' watching our every move. A great write, up and pressing those buttons too.
Yes I agree with you about 'big brother' watching our every move thesedays. And it's lovely to hear from you!
Interesting post. Firstly if your so worried about your ex finding you why were you on the phone with him? He can't be that bad. Secondly YOU told him what Suburb you lived in, then you told him what avenue you lived down. Then you confirmed to him that it was near a football field as well as telling him it was a white house etc etc etc. Without all that information he wouldn't have a chance of finding out where you lived. Surely you know that it was all your own fault? Next you suggest that he was looking at your house at the same time that you were inside and that someone could follow you to work using the map. Both of these are impossible. Google maps are NOT live. They are still images which are often years old. Whilst I agree that "Big Brother" is a problem your little blog is very misleading to anyone who doesn't know different. Just looking at your comments received shows that. I would be interested in your reply to my comment and will be coming back for a few days to see if you have. One more thing, if Google Earth photographs anybody maybe walking down a street they have to obscure the face of said person and you will see that this is true.
Hi Paul T, I wasn't chatting with my ex on the phone. He popped up on my MSN Messenger while I was online and said hello, since he is living overseas I didn't think anything of it. Certainly didn't think he was looking up my address online. Also certainly learned from this to be more caucious of what private information to disclose to someone, even if he was someone I had once known quite well. I don't think it was my fault he was trying to check out the house I was living in online, infact I did not know about Google Maps. I think you can pay for a live Google Earth but it's not the free version, who knows which one he was looking at. Seriously, if someone used these maps and knew what time I left for work etc they could easily devise a plan to follow me, anyway this Hub was not meant to be misleading, just sharing my own personal experience with others. I know there are other readers who didn't know about Google Maps and who have since found photos of their house, parents house etc were online without their knowledge. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
Hi, thanks for the reply and explanation. I'm glad to hear that you have at least learned to be much more cautious with your personal information and I do understand your concerns and some of them are very real concerns, but not all of them. With Google Earth it's much easier to find a house or street, but a lot of the above could have been carried out with an "Old school" map. It's probably worth bearing in mind that the huge majority of people using Google Earth, do use it honestly and legally. The worst I have ever heard happen is that criminals where determining which properties had garden ponds and then coming round and stealing expensive Koi Carp fish and pond equipment! So it seems in some very small cases Google Earth could be used for theft and maybe worse, but it's not something people should worry about as the chances of it are minute. Unfortunately it's much more likely that you will victim to a "Regular" burglar or mugger (Let's hope not!) , but if your sensible and safe even the chances of that are slim. Unfortunately as far as I can see it's not possible for you to have pictures of your street or property removed completely. Although if the picture on the street view revealed the contents of your house or an image of your face, that small part can then removed or pixelated. One final thing is that I have made checks and it is certainly impossible for members of the public to use "Live" satellites to check up on people or to see anything at all moving in real time. Although the technology is there due to privacy and potential criminal and terrorist acts it will likely never be available for the general public's use. Keep safe! Paul
Hi PaulT,
Nice to hear from you again and thankyou for sharing your thoughts and valuable knowledge on this page!
An important information. thanks for sharing this dear stricktlydating
BkCreative Level 6 Commenter 2 years ago
Wow! I've heard about this and never bothered to check assuming it was a sky view and not so detailed - but after reading your hub I checked - and there was my residence in glowing detail - and everything near by!!!!
I'd be incredibly freaked out if I lived in a private home. Being that I do live in the big city - I have always used Post Office Box - on my driver license, all bills, as a mailing address. And I see now I will never change that!
Thanks for making this information a 'head's up' - we need to remember that there is so such thing as privacy - and then have to protect ourselves.
I am bookmarking your hub to share with others!
Good grief!