this post was submitted on 26 May 2025
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Yes, I remember these (they also send a map of the city with all the street and public transportation lines)
But the point is that you can be unlisted from these (and as far as I remember it was free). Not sure about the part where you can call an operator that tell you the number you are looking for.
Anyway, the problem is that Google seems to have shared the phone number even if the user declined to do so (and by the user account, the number was not listed for years). This just seems a move from Google that show a total disperect of the user decision.
In the US the "standard" low cost line was listed in the white pages by default, you effectively paid extra - per month - for an unlisted number.
The operator information was basically a phone company employee reading the white pages info to you, for a fee.
As far as I remember in Italy the situation was different.
You can ask to delist the number when you sign the contract and it was free. I am not really sure if in the case you decided later to delist the number you needed to pay a one time fee for that, but keeping delisted was always free.
Italy, and all of Europe, have always had a greater respect for personal and a lesser respect for business' profits than the U.S.
The phone company definitely did charge extra for unlisted numbers. The number lookup service, which was just called "Information", was accessed by dialing 411 - the origin of "What's the 411?" In the olden days you got a human being, then they automated it with voice recognition. In most places 411 doesn't exist anymore but it was in service until only a few years ago.
Wait, I suspect that we don't live in the same country.
In Italy keeping the number unlisted was free (you just needed to declare it when you were signing the contract) and I have no memory of something like the 411.