Tracing people from phone numbers

[med2207]

Is there any way I can find out who owns a particular phone number in the UK. I have tried entering it in a search but have come up with nothing. It is not an 0800 number, but is a standard british telephone number.

[Ethel]

No, it is illegal under UK data protection laws.

[Buenchico]

As Ethel states, it's illegal to provide 'reverse search' directories in the UK, both on CD-Rom and online.

When phone directories first appeared on CD-Rom, the more expensive versions (which were often available in public libraries) included this facility but here was a major outcry against this. (It was pointed out, for example, that a young woman might be happy to give her phone number to a man she met in a night club but wouldn't want him to know her home address until she'd got to know him better).

Your only chance of putting a name and address to a phone number (if the person has been at the same address for many years), is to try to find a public library which still has an older version of 'UK Info-Disk Pro' available, and which is prepared to let you use it. Librarians attitudes vary greatly over this. Camden Libraries, for example, won't even stock the current version of Info-Disk, because they say it breaches the Data Protection Act. (It doesn't). Whereas the staff at Ipswich Reference Library happily spent half an hour hunting for the relevant software, so that I could use an older version (complete with its reverse search facility).

Chris

[Bruizedapple]

But - if you put the full phone number into google I bet a whole load of information pops up. It's usually forums for people to post numbers of companies that cold call regarding mobiles.

Try it

[Bruizedapple]

Ignore me

Im an idiot that didn't read the post before hand

Afternoon drinking - just wrong