- Why did Katrin Göring-Eckardt publicly share her mobile phone number online
To post one's personal contact details online for public consumption is generally considered a no-go by 2024, especially for professionals and active users in the digital world. They're well aware of the perils that come with the digital realm.
When digits begin to circulate on the web, I'm automatically intrigued. And doubly so when one of them belongs to Katrin Göring-Eckardt, a prominent Green Party politician and member of the German parliament. On Monday morning, she posted a phone number on X, inviting people to give her a call.
Do you recall when addresses were shared on Facebook?
Seeing the post brought back memories from my teen years: A classmate's sister (we were 14 at the time, our siblings were younger) hosted a house party. Unfortunately, the address ended up being publicized on Facebook. Picture the commotion that ensued.
The internet was still in its infancy back then, as were we. We were just starting to find our feet on Schüler VZ and Facebook. Sharing addresses online was a thing, but it's hardly a practice that would be considered acceptable today, save for a handful of extraordinary circumstances. As teenagers, we should have learned from experiences like these – or so we thought.
Katrin Göring-Eckardt responds – albeit in a detached manner
But now, an adult, a politician, and by extension, a media figure, had made her number available on X. How on Earth did this happen? Had Göring-Eckardt accidentally hit the wrong button while sending a private message? Talk about an unfortunate blunder that would necessitate a new SIM card to dodge angry calls from the public.
But there it was, the sinister number, readily accessible on Telegram and WhatsApp. It couldn't have been fabricated. So, I deemed it necessary to give Katrin Göring-Eckardt a call.
Indeed, the Green Party politician picked up promptly: "Hello, this is Katrin Göring-Eckardt." Despite the number having been visible for hours, the politician answered promptly. How many calls from disgruntled voters might she have received by then? And why was her tone so upbeat?
Before I could introduce myself and bombard her with questions, Göring-Eckardt spoke up again: "On September 1st, there will be an election in Thuringia. Vote for Alliance 90/The Greens for people, nature, and Thuringia. Let's prevent the AfD from securing a veto majority. Together, we can guarantee that our cherished Thuringia will be governed fairly and sustainably. Thank you and farewell!"
And with that, she hung up.
Well, that effectively put a chilling end to my investigative piece on internet security. Too bad.
Whether this obscure number will contribute to the Greens' fortunes in Thuringia remains to be seen. According to multiple surveys, the party is only polling at around three percent at the moment. The AfD would receive ten times that number of votes.
At least, the X post is providing some amusement. Some are puzzled, while others are elated. Katrin Göring-Eckardt has undeniably achieved one thing: She's captured the spotlight.
After sharing her number on X, I wondered if Katrin Göring-Eckardt had accidentally posted the [The number of the mobile phone] while sending a private message. Despite the number being publicly accessible on platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp, it seemed unusual that she answered my call promptly.
Considering the risk of receiving unwanted calls due to her [The number of the mobile phone] being public, one would expect Katrin Göring-Eckardt to have a more guarded approach when interacting with her followers online.
