Reverse phone lookups, or reverse phone directories have been around for years. In fact, this service was provided by telephone companies to law enforcement and public libraries. Eventually, the cell phone directory made this information available to the public for monthly fees, at least in the countries where it was legal. With the rise of the internet, reverse phone lookups have become even more readily available and have opened avenues for online businesses and the software they produce.
Reverse phone lookups, more technically referred to as gray pages, is when a name and/or address is found by looking up a number instead of the traditional practice of looking a number up by a name. This can come in especially handy when law enforcement is trying to locate a suspect or people associated with them through caller ID and phone records. On a more personal level, it is useful to identify prank callers or other callers for whom the person receiving the call has only a number for.
The majority of reverse phone lookup services are online. Most charge a monthly fee for full service, though they tease the searcher with partial information like phone type, city, and state. Full service can also include
- owner name
- phone company and carrier
- most current address
- people search results
- household members
The legalities of reverse phone lookup have been a subject of controversy throughout the world. While it is legal for the public to look up names by phone number in the United States, and was judged legal after a court case in Australia in 2010, reverse phone lookups are illegal in most of the United Kingdom. In each country, this information is given to authorities, though the UK requires a warrant.
The internet has made reverse phone number lookup available to people all over the world, but more and more countries are addressing the ethics of having this information available. This is due to the complaints received from the general public. The future of reverse phone number lookup is in question, but unless every country bans the service and finds a way to successfully police the internet, it will remain a resource available to anyone who can use a computer.