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Google Search By Number

Posted by Zonk on from the google,-where-are-my-car-keys? dept.

fizz writes "Well, Google has done it again. This time, simply enter any tracking number or id number into the Google search box, and Voila! You have a link to the shipper and tracking information. They have a funny little mom/son tech talk bit on the blog about this."

18 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. Google did this a year ago by applecore · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I agree with Googleblog's Mr. Stocky that people need to be told about this. But which people?

    Most of /. probably knew about this, since it's been around since at least February 2004

    That page contains the request Are there other types of numbers you'd like Google to search? Please email us at suggestions@google.com.

    Today's page contains Are there other types of numbers you'd like Google to search? Please contact us.

    If in the last year Google received suggestions for other numbers to be searched, they do not seem to be implemented today. Drivers Lic #'s, SSN's, Lic Plate #'s, are not likely to be included. What numbers could Google search?

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    Test signature: Brett Walker
    1. Re:Google did this a year ago by FreshlyShornBalls · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Drivers Lic #'s, SSN's, Lic Plate #'s, are not likely to be included. What numbers could Google search?

      How about UPC numbers, reverse phone, IP address lookups.......

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    2. Re:Google did this a year ago by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If in the last year Google received suggestions for other numbers to be searched, they do not seem to be implemented today... Lic Plate #'s, are not likely to be included.

      License plate number lookup would actually be a very nice feature. At least in the state where I live you have to be one of about a hundred registered lawyers or a law enforcement agent to search the license plate database, but those individuals are willing to provide a lookup to anyone without any questions asked for about $75. Also, at least one of those people has downloaded the entire database and sells it on CD. There is really no reason for people to have to pay for this information, other than it makes a few people some money. I'd love to see google buy the CD every year and add it to a database.

    3. Re:Google did this a year ago by Bongzilla · · Score: 1, Interesting


      I am very much too afraid to type my social security number into google!

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  2. even cooler: check out the first google map hack by paronomasia5 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    this is old news you hams.

    even cooler: check out the first google map hack (it even blew the pants of the google maps crew):

    http://paulrademacher.com/housing/

  3. UPS requires the terms and conditions checkbox by ZeeExSixAre · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you enter their website traditionally, UPS requires that the user click the annoying "By selecting this box and the Track button, I agree to these Terms and Conditions." Google bypasses this. What are the legal ramifications of this bypass?

  4. Other things that go Google in the night.... by erick99 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I also like that I can type weather frederick md and get my weather or define:pragmatic and get a definition.

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    http://www.busyweather.com/
  5. Privacy Concerns? by LaughingLinuxMan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Having this information crawled and therefore easily available to a world-wide audience makes me nervous. What if you are having passports or some other ID material shipped? Or medical tests? Interception is now that much easier. I know the protection before was via obscurity, i.e. the information was not crawled, but, personally, I think that shippers should not make this information crawlable.

    -LLM

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    Annoy a Conservative...
  6. how long before SSN's and CC # will be there too? by drgonzo59 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I am wondering how long before I plug my SSN and get some results too. Actually I already have. The university I go to uses SSNs as university id and I took this Network Security class (oh the irony!) and sure enough the supposedly "security and privacy aware" professor has posted the results of first midterm on the web indexed by SSNs. Then just a page away he posted later the results of one of the homeworks indexed by first and last names. I have both lists now and for 20 people there is 1 in 10 chance to randomly find Name and social security combination of one of these 20 people. I then went to the library, which conviniently uses only SSN and last name as a login for their machines. In about 20 minutes I knew 19 SSN and the names associated with it. All from Google.

    I am not blaming Google of course, it is the fault of the university and the professor.

  7. ISBN. UPC. Credit cards. by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hehe, I'm just kidding about the last one.
    -russ

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    Don't piss off The Angry Economist
  8. THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT PICTURES by donutello · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well, not exactly. It's a very cool hack. My #1 feature request is to link it to Google's satellite maps also.

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  9. Please stop parroting the Google Blog! by duffbeer703 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Give me a break. Google has done this for nearly 2 years now.

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    Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
  10. Re:Old news and what's wrong with Google Maps by alphakappa · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm sure you will find a link to google maps soon along with the whitepages info. Notice that if you enter an address into the google main search page, you will get links to google maps, mapquest and yahoo, since google is following the principle of finding information for you from all good sources, even if google has a product with that information.

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    "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
  11. Re:This was old news a year ago. by webhat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's so old that they had it when Yahoo! was still funding Google and Google was starting to do the Yahoo!! backend. It still works in Yahoo! btw.

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    'I am become Shiva, destroyer of worlds'
  12. Why doesn't Gmail use this? by Acoustic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Since Gmail is already scanning my messages, why doesn't it pick tracking numbers out of my e-mail? Then it could do something useful and give me a link to the shipper.

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    Yorkspace
  13. Google Maps Sightseeing by davetrainer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have been using this all week and I've already made three appointments to see apartments that I found on there. It is insanely useful.

    The Google Maps sightseeing blog doesn't quite have its utility, but is hours of entertainment nonetheless.

  14. Re:Little by little by AviLazar · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When enough people like Google?????

    Even my moms heard of Google. Hell my co-workers sister says "google-it" and she thinks that every computer house has the Internet BUILT into it (meaning if you have a house you automatically have the internet). Google is extremely popular and extremely well known. Now should we start hating it? Thats a question only the masses can hate. When we are all saying "Hail Google" and "Yavoll heir Google" then I will probably say 'down with google', but so far they are just trying to be the best.

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    I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
  15. even if you're not expecting a package by Aerion · · Score: 1, Interesting

    This came in handy in January during the MIT Mystery Hunt, for this puzzle. Nobody knew what to do with the 12-digit number, but Googling it revealed it as a FedEx tracking number.

    Unfortuantely, one of the teams stole the package from the room it was in.