Verizon Wireless and Phonebooks.com announced Thursday that the online phone directory will no longer list phone numbers originally issued for mobile phones.
The companies are working together to take a strong stance on consumer privacy, according to release. And while users were able to request their mobile phone numbers be removed from the free database at any time, Phonebooks.com president Aaron Rosenthal said the company will stop listing the information in response to the voices of a ”concerned minority.”
Phonebooks.com built its directory through a combination of user submissions and information obtained from third-party sources such as social networking profiles and property records.
But without technology to verify all the user-submitted information, Rosenthal said, the company has decided to stop listing all mobile phone information out of respect for user privacy.
“Even if a consumer’s mobile number is obtained lawfully by Phonebooks.com we believe that Verizon Wireless customers should have the opportunity to provide informed consent before it is published,” said Steve Zipperstein, vice president of external affairs for Verizon Wireless.
Verizon has a history of opposing public access to mobile phone numbers. In 2004, the company said it would not participate in a planned effort to include mobile numbers in directory assistance.
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