Privacy of One's Home Address for magicJack Users

[Bartholomew Diogenes]

Let me be concise. When you call someone with your magicJack you can never block your number from appearing on the callee's id. There is at least one firm which is selling info about phone numbers, including mJ numbers and including the computer signature of any computer which has ever searched for any particular number. I assume the computer signature would be the ip of a computer, but I don't know what that is. If someone had the ip of your computer, what could they learn about you? Let us assume you are not foolish enough to put your home address anywhere on the Web and the searcher does not hack into anything. If someone has your mJ number but not your ip, do you think they could find your address from your number if you haven't given both to any entity which isn't legally obliged to protect such data? Remember that you must put your home address on your mJ to get 911 service if mJ is your primary phone.
_ _ _ _I am seeking a serious discussion of my questions. I am solely concerned with magicJack being the cause or trigger for someone being able to learn your home address and not anything else you might do on-line or with your computer, and I am not computer-oriented. If you want to know the firm to which I alluded, contact me privately; I have been ridiculed previously when I have offered the name in code and I don't want to state it openly.

[nailgunner]

A simple search on Google provided quick answers about finding you based on your IP address. Here are 2 examples:

http://www.writersbbs.com/bbs3/ip-address.html

http://whatismyipaddress.com/find-me

It's not easy but you can be found.

There are a million (okay almost 11 million actually) Google hits on false IP addresses. Here is one example on how to make yourself invisible:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-mas ... p-address/

And even if MJ did allow your number to be blocked, there is software out there that will UNBLOCK it, if someone wants to see who is calling.

As far as the 911 info goes, who knows, but I would assume probably. If there is a database somewhere with your 911 location and address, someone can find it, just like someone can hack into your internet provider ISP database and track you down.

If it's that big a deal to you, give MJ a fake 911 address. You can still call 911 in an emergency and tell them where you actually are, or use your cell phone.

But if someone is intent on finding you, if you use the internet or a phone, chances are pretty good they can. You can go to a great deal of expense and time to make it very difficult for them, but nothing is impossible. A lot depends on how badly you want to hide or how badly someone wants to find you.

There are plenty of examples of people who thought they had a foolproof way of hiding on the internet only to be greatly disappointed in the end. There are some pretty once-smug child bad picture purveyors sitting behind bars who thought they had it all figured out how to hide.

No offense, but you need to seriously relax before you give yourself a bleeding ulcer or a stroke.

As a "humorous" side note, apparently the forum software blocks the use of the word p.o.r.n, thus the use of "bad picture" above. But since I was bored and couldn't sleep, I played with other words. It does block some, but some very famous ones used in p.o.r.n for the male and female genitals and breasts are not blocked. And while I can say you are full of "s---" and call you a "f---er", I can't tell you to go "f---" yourself.

[Bartholomew Diogenes]

nailgunner, yours is one of the greatest replies I've ever gotten. I knew you were a great guy! And I'm going to give you and amigo_boy kudos at that other site if I'm still welcome there. The good news: I haven't given my mJ number to anyone who might wish me ill. The bad news: this makes mJ inappropriate as one's only phone. I meant to say above that the Dept. of Commerce is reviewing internet tracking, and I believe compiling such data about a user without their written permission and selling it should be illegal. People depend on anonimity on the Web. I don't want anyone getting my ip and creating a dossier on me. The government does not concern me particularly in this regard. I will study your references further with other answers I get. Happy holidays!

[davrow]

Another thing to consider, my ISP is Time Warner. Everytime I reboot my router I get a new IP Address. Even if I don't reboot they change it now and then.

The best anyone can find is that I am in Southern California, because that is where my Time Warner series of IP addresses is located.

But it is not tied to me except for the hours or days when I actually have that IP Address.

A moot point if you have a static IP, but if you are worried about Internet privacy you should start by not having your IP Address be static, make it dynamic instead.

[nailgunner]

The bad news: this makes mJ inappropriate as one's only phone.

MJ isn't any worse than any other phone being used as a main phone. They can all be traced back to you with the exception of some pre-paid phones, but they are planning on making that more difficult if they haven't already. And these companies are all selling our crap back and forth to each other.

Between Google, the NSA (they supposedly record every call), hackers, the CIA, and god knows who else I assume that all my personal information is out there. I don't like it, but I quit worrying about it a while ago. The only time it becomes an issue is if you go postal on someone or your soon to be ex-wife is out to nail you or you plan on running for President. Lacking that, it's just one of billions of lines of data sitting on a server somewhere.

[Bartholomew Diogenes]

Yeah, I meant to say mJ as your only service. If you combine it with GV, then you can display that number and, hopefully, you never search for it on-line. Of course GV is unexplored territory: will it be free and what kind of number will one get? Also, not thrilled about having to get Gmail and the fact you can't call bigshot Google as in to ask if it will continue to be free. Thanks to the other poster. I have heard the ip does change, and I reboot daily.

[bitstopjoe]

Yeah, I meant to say mJ as your only service. If you combine it with GV, then you can display that number and, hopefully, you never search for it on-line. Of course GV is unexplored territory: will it be free and what kind of number will one get? Also, not thrilled about having to get Gmail and the fact you can't call bigshot Google as in to ask if it will continue to be free. Thanks to the other poster. I have heard the ip does change, and I reboot daily.

I have Google Voice and do NOT have Gmail... You do not need one to have the other...
Right now it is free and you get to choose your # ( area code and exchange)

[nailgunner]

Yeah, I meant to say mJ as your only service. If you combine it with GV, then you can display that number and, hopefully, you never search for it on-line. Of course GV is unexplored territory: will it be free and what kind of number will one get? Also, not thrilled about having to get Gmail and the fact you can't call bigshot Google as in to ask if it will continue to be free. Thanks to the other poster. I have heard the ip does change, and I reboot daily.

Joe is right. I signed up with a comcast.net email.

And MJ is fine as your only service. I use GV to get around the 1.5 hour phone limit because I'm too lazy to re-dial the number after 1.5 hours.

I don't want to beat what I consider a VERY dead horse...but. Google Voice isn't going to protect you either. You need a valid e-mail. Which you can of course delete. But there will be a record of the ISP address somewhere that you used to set it up. You are seriously going to drive yourself into an ulcer worrying over nothing. If someone wants to find you they will unless you spend a lot of time and money setting up a fool-proof system which in the end won't be totally fool-proof anyway.