Google shared my phone number (danq.me)

Article summary

The author's personal phone number was shared publicly by Google as the contact number for their business, Three Rings, despite not having given consent for this. The number was displayed on the business's Google profile and could be called directly from the search results. The author had previously provided the number to Google for identity verification purposes, but it was not publicly visible until recently. After discovering the issue, the author was able to remove the number from the profile.

Main themes

• Google privacy issues
• phone number verification
• bot farm prevention
• user data handling
• security risks
• privacy concerns

What commenters say

• Google's publication of the author's phone number without consent is a violation of their privacy and potentially illegal.
• The ability for random users to update business information on Google Maps, including phone numbers, is a security risk and can lead to incorrect or malicious information being published.
• Requiring phone number verification can be an effective way to prevent bot farms, but it also raises concerns about privacy and the potential for phone numbers to be used for spamming or other malicious purposes.
• Invite codes or other forms of verification that do not rely on personal identifiable information may be a more effective and privacy-friendly way to prevent bots and spam.
• Google's handling of user data and phone numbers is overly aggressive and can be skipped or removed, but this may not always be easy or obvious for non-technical users.
• The use of phone numbers for verification purposes can create a profit center for spammers and undermine efforts to prevent bot farms.
• Alternative methods of verification, such as payments or other forms of identification, may be more effective in preventing bots and spam without compromising user privacy.