The phone book may soon become a thing of the past with personalinformation just keystrokes away from anyone with access to acomputer. Online search engines and directories are among the mostvisited sites on the Web, and many feature new tools that makesearching for people easier than ever.
The option of requesting an unlisted phone number may be moreappealing with the onset of reverse search features on many Websites.
Whitepages.com, AT&T's Anywho.com, Switchboard.com and manyother sites offer reverse phone directory searches. The user typesin a phone number with area code or an address, and if theinformation is listed in a local directory, the engine will returnthe resident or phone user's name.
"This is essentially the same thing as using a phone book," saidClive Blanchar, senior computer engineering major at The Universityof Memphis. "All these sites use the same databases as the printversion of a phone directory."
Some U of M students say they are aware of reverse search Websites.
"I've heard of the sites, but I'm not particularly familiar withthem," said Ryan Head, senior political science major. "I've neverused the feature though."
Privacy issues connected with the feature do not seem to botherstudents.
"It's more convenient than using a phone book if you don't knowa person's name," Blanchar said. "If a person doesn't want theirinformation out there, they should keep their number unlisted."
Google.com retrieves addresses and names when a 10-digit phonenumber is entered on the site. Links to maps of the address canpinpoint a person's name and house location in a matter ofseconds.
Other U of M students did not know reverse search tools wereavailable online.
"That's kind of scary," said Daniel Carter, sophomore exercisesports science major and attendant at the Superlab in the McWherterLibrary. "It's convenient, but it seems like it's one step closerto being able to steal someone's identity."
Carter entered his home phone number and retrieved his homeaddress.
Another lab attendant entered his phone number but did notreceive any information.
"My phone number is not listed," said James Wong, junior MISmajor.
He entered several other numbers and retrieved name and addressinformation for each.
None of The U of M phone numbers entered into various searchengines brought back any information about faculty, departments orindividual offices.
The U of M phone directory is not considered a public directory,and it is distributed only to students, faculty and staff, saidrepresentatives from creative services in the marketing andcommunications office.
