Why is it illegal to have reverse telephone number searches in the UK?

Question

What is the harm?

If one uses an alternate land line call service other than BT, instant access to call history is not always directly available.

In my recent experience over a month in arrears, a long time to wait to check your phone bill!

So when the bill finally arrives and you see that you have dialed a series of high cost numbers several or more times just seconds apart, for just a few sec's or mins at a time, one has to question the calls! Only the trouble is, it was dated over a month before, ones lifestyle is hectic and who can remember all the calls one made 5 or 6 weeks previous?

All one needs is the name of the caller, be it residential or business?

Surely if it was a legitimate call/er (or otherwise), a name is only polite!

Answer 1

with  bt, if you register to view your bills online, you can put a name in for numbers you call alot, i.e. mum, work etc. check with your supplier if you can access your billing details online.

as to why reverse searches are illegal, it would be a breach of the data protection act.

Answer 2

It's illegal because people started using it to scare other people. Imagine someone that just sees your number for any reason. They then find your name and pretend they want to kill you.

That is why it's illegal.

Answer 3

Because human rights legislation states that individuals have a right to a private life.

If you are too lazy to keep track of you spending that is your problem.  Why should decent people have to waste their money on systems,  just because you can't be bothered to keep track of your wanton usage.

I suggest one thinks about inserting ones phone where one can no longer dial it.  Then one would no longer have a problem. Would one?