# Scope and legal

Source: https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/phone-investigation/01-scope-and-legal (page 2 of 4 of osintverse-community/phone-investigation)

- A phone number is personal data almost everywhere, and in many countries subscriber information is protected by
  telecom secrecy laws. Look numbers up only for a defined purpose.
- **Never call or text the number** as part of an investigation unless that is explicitly in scope. Account checks
  in this playbook do not notify the owner.
- **Carrier lookups that query the network** (HLR lookups) reveal whether a phone is switched on and roaming. They are
  intrusive and regulated; they are deliberately not part of this playbook.
- **Ported numbers.** Most countries let people keep their number when they change carrier. The carrier you find is
  the one the range was originally assigned to.

Next: https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/phone-investigation/02-parse.md