They already digitized the books and put them online in searchable databases 30 years ago.
Even including reverse number search (which my socially awkward self loved back then) and later integrated map routing to the address of the number’s owner.
I am living in Germany, which has one of the stronger privacy protection laws.
But this was
a) more than 20 years ago
b) considered public data (distributed to every household in printed form any way), so the privacy laws of the time didn’t apply.
The only legal disputes I remember were over questions of copyright for the entries in the phonebooks.
[Edit]
Just checked: at least one of the services still exists and works exactly as I described it before: https://www.dasoertliche.de/
If you click on “Rückwärtssuche” you open the reverse search.
Here is a phone number to try it with: 0897003671
Note the “Routenplaner” link on the result entry, which shows you a map and lets you plan your route to the number owner.
They already digitized the books and put them online in searchable databases 30 years ago.
Even including reverse number search (which my socially awkward self loved back then) and later integrated map routing to the address of the number’s owner.
So this argument doesn’t hold.
You seem to live in a USA-like country. In my country there are some figments of data protection, and the features you describe aren’t possible.
I am living in Germany, which has one of the stronger privacy protection laws.
But this was
a) more than 20 years ago
b) considered public data (distributed to every household in printed form any way), so the privacy laws of the time didn’t apply.
The only legal disputes I remember were over questions of copyright for the entries in the phonebooks.
[Edit]
Just checked: at least one of the services still exists and works exactly as I described it before:
https://www.dasoertliche.de/
If you click on “Rückwärtssuche” you open the reverse search.
Here is a phone number to try it with: 0897003671
Note the “Routenplaner” link on the result entry, which shows you a map and lets you plan your route to the number owner.