ɪnðɪ ˈɜːli nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti z, bˈɪznəsᵻz stˈɑːɹɾᵻd ˈɔfɚɹɪŋ ɹᵻvˈɜːs tˈɛlᵻfˌoʊn lˈʊkʌps fɔːɹ fˈiːz, ænd baɪ ðɪ ˈɜːli tˈuː θˈaʊzənd z ˈædvɚtˌaɪzɪŋbˈeɪst ɹᵻvˈɜːs dᵻɹˈɛktɚɹiz wɜːɹ ɐvˈeɪləbəl ˈɑːnlaɪn, pɹˈɑːmptɪŋ əkˈeɪʒənəl kˈɑːntɹəvˌɜːsiz ɹᵻvˈɑːlvɪŋ ɚɹˈaʊnd pɹˈaɪvəsi.
In the early 1990s, businesses started offering reverse telephone lookups for fees, and by the early 2000s advertising-based reverse directories were available online, prompting occasional controversies revolving around privacy.