Names, numbers and addresses of every residence. The big book of humans. The old bible of surveillance. 
Discussion
lol i think its more than 15 years ago
Back then, it was easier to opt out.
This was entertainment for us as kids in the 90’s, prank calling people called Phil Hiscock, Richard Head and we found a Courtney Salmon!
In those days your phone number was just that. It wasn't the skeleton key to your digital identity and financial account.
My family was all unlisted. It was incredibly easy to opt out then. Pretty sure that was more than 15 yrs ago lol
I used to pay to have my details not recorded in the book.
Felt like extortion.
They still publish & distribute it here each year. I get it, try to find myself & then throw it out.
Have you googled your name? Sites not nly show your phone and address for all to see, but also the names of your relatives, your former addresses, emails you use and much more.
And you don't even have to dig through a thick-ass book. Google does it for you.
(and good luck with those takedown requests: you take one page down, another one goes up)
Not surveillance, just openness. People did just fine. We are doing fine too. Have a great day!
Anonymity is the true freedom.
Anyway this "old book" was printed before the use of computers.
And phone calls have a higher cost. So no vocal spam existed on phone.
And you could request to not be on this book too.
Nowadays :
- Some steal your personal datas and much more than your phone or address but also your age, bank, familty, relationship... directly from hacking
- There is more and more KYC laws that collect more and more datas on you without your consent (and you can't avoid it)
- All the data collected are backed up forever, you can't delete them even if you request it.
Definitely i would prefer the time of an old book with address, than today were privacy is just more and more treated like a joke or suspicious behavior.
I remember people tearing phone books.......crazy