I received an advertisement from T-Mobile in the mail today where they must have gotten my data from some website that forced me to fill out personal information

  • DahGangalang@infosec.pub
    78·
    21 hours ago

    Heads up, the 9 digit zip code (xxxxx-xxxx) alone is as valid of a mailing address as any “full” address.

    That is to say, by leaving the full zip, you’ve low key exposed the actual address, which can be found with a quick google search.

    • VicksVaporBBQrub@sh.itjust.worksM
      3·
      8 hours ago

      I went down a brief rabbit hole on the zip+4 and the IMb (intelligent mailer barcode). The +4 was originally a local division inside a single zipcode, like a neighborhood or mail route. +4 and the barcode was then called POSTNET – decommissioned and now upgraded barcode encoding to IMb, which can contain like 2000 bits of data. The zip +4 technically now has a length of 11 digits, and is inside a IMb barcode.

      Conclusion, barcodes have sensitive data too. ~✍️

      edit add: i wanted to see if my phone’s barcode app could scan too see if OP’s post office really calls him Mr. Off, but it cant natively read mailer codes and I fell asleep and the rabbit hole ended.

    • stankmut@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      19 hours ago

      Surely the last 4 digits don’t point to an exact house. I’m fairly certain my zip code has more than 9999 houses. It does seem like it would get you pretty close though.

      • Arrkk@lemmy.world
        25·
        16 hours ago

        Zip+four is only down the the block level, you need 2 more digits (zip+6) to uniquely identify every possible address in the US. That said, a 9 digit barcode is way too close to a full address for most people to be comfortable with sharing online.

      • DahGangalang@infosec.pub
        4·
        13 hours ago

        I suppose I grew up semirural, so growing up, my zip plus 4 identified my single house. Good to know that’s not thexactly the case all the time. Still, pretty identifying.

    • stupidcasey@lemmy.world
      1·
      20 hours ago

      Sure but why do you care? It’s not like they did anything it was the guy who mailed this to them and all they did was a mildly funny prank.