Forward Cell Phone Lookups—Legal or Not?

We are all familiar with the traditional forward lookup for a landline number. You simply go to the white pages or an online database, type in the person's name and/or address, and find their phone number, if the information is listed. However, if you want to perform a forward cell phone lookup to obtain the number of a friend, work colleague or distant relative, these actions are against current laws and regulations. Cell phone numbers are considered private, and as such, they are out of the public domain.

Are Reverse Lookups Legal?

Although you cannot presently perform a forward cell phone lookup, reverse cell phone lookups are soundly within the boundaries of the law.To run a reverse cell phone lookup, users simply key any telephone number and are given the name of the owner and the phone carrier. Additionally, through the use of a cell phone reverse lookup directory, users can also pinpoint the name of the person who owns the cell phone.

Shades of Distinction

You may wonder why it is possible to perform a reverse cell phone lookup but not a forward lookup. The reason traces back to privacy concerns. If you are performing a cell phone reverse lookup, you already know the phone number of the party you are calling. Typically, you are merely trying to find out the identity of the caller to help prevent the continuation of unwanted phone calls. In contrast, when you perform a forward cell phone lookup, you are asking for the phone number of the person you wish to call. The mobile telephone number is considered private, and a forward lookup would constitute an invasion of privacy.

With these points in mind, legislation HB 2479 sets out to clarify the reasons why cell phone owners have a right to privacy. The bill clarifies that in the U.S., cell phone owners pay for both incoming and outgoing calls, and they have a reasonable expectation that their numbers will not be given out or sold. Legislators feel that cell phone owners should not be asked to pay for calls from unwanted callers. They also state in the bill that cell phone numbers should not be accessible to the public when subscribers paying for cellular service expect their numbers to remain private. Further, HB 2479 wants to make it illegal for cell phone companies to provide the numbers of their subscribers to companies that want to use the information for commercial purposes.

Frauds

Although you may run across forward cell phone lookup directories online, be aware that the service itself is not legitimate, and the information provided is in all likelihood not reliable. Also, be aware that even if you pay these sites for information, you will probably end up with less than you bargained for in terms of incomplete information or authenticity.