# Search Google for your SSN and see if any sites have it posted there **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117 "2006-11-20T08:03:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeachMountainQQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@BeachMountainQQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeachMountainQQ)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/1 "2006-11-20T08:03:14Z")
Search Google for your SSN and see if any sites have it posted there mine showed up on some maze site there is a maze with the same number as my ssn # ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/2 "2006-11-20T08:14:25Z")
I’d recommend against querying Google with anything you want to be kept private. When you search for something, and then click a link in the results, your search string is included in the referrer string. This means that any site you go to from google will know what keys you searched for to get there. So if you search for anything you want to be kept confidential - like SSNs or passwords - that data gets sent to whatever site you go to in the results. So if you set up a googlebomb for “SSN”, so that any search key with “SSN” in it gets the phishing site in the top 10 results, you can collect SSNs, correlated with IPs. Also, there’s the possible future problem of something like [AOLstalker](http://www.aolstalker.com). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/3 "2006-11-20T09:20:18Z")
Any results you find, you could just retype into the address bar. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/4 "2006-11-20T09:21:34Z")
Maze here too. Only link that appeared. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/5 "2006-11-20T12:06:04Z")
Since there is no question here, let’s try MPSIMS. **samclem** ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/6 "2006-11-20T12:12:50Z")
Only one hit, a link to a **flickr** photo. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/7 "2006-11-20T13:58:37Z")
This is a **bad** idea. Google records every single search you make. You’re essentially giving out your SSN to Google, and anybody else who might be watching your internet connection(this is potentially a big deal if you’re on a wireless network, or somebody else’s network). ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/8 "2006-11-20T23:41:13Z")
Would it help if someone Googled my SSN for me? I’d appreciate it. It’s 123-45-6789. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/9 "2006-11-21T00:24:42Z")
To be sure its yours, I need your birthday ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/10 "2006-11-21T00:27:11Z")
BTW, is it common or even prudent for very new users to start threads that involve people transmitting their SSNs? Something’s phishy. Everyone’s getting the same maze site I presume. Could that be the OP’s site? Is he tracking them somehow? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/11 "2006-11-21T00:27:16Z")
And your name, and your mother’s maiden name. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/12 "2006-11-21T00:31:04Z")
[QUOTE=Scribble] And your name, and your mother’s maiden name. [/QUOTE] And your pet’s name, if you have one. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/13 "2006-11-21T01:41:05Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Would it help if someone Googled my SSN for me? I’d appreciate it. It’s 123-45-6789. [/QUOTE] Social Security number? Aught, Aught, Aught…Aught, Aught… Aught, Aught, Aught, two. Damn Roosevelt… ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-google-for-your-ssn-and-see-if-any-sites-have-it-posted-there/381117/14 "2006-11-21T04:53:29Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] This is a **bad** idea. Google records every single search you make. You’re essentially giving out your SSN to Google, and anybody else who might be watching your internet connection(this is potentially a big deal if you’re on a wireless network, or somebody else’s network). [/QUOTE] Yeppers.