The People Search Obsession

Way before the days of the Internet people were searching for information about other people.

Employers want to know a person's employment history in determining hirability.
Law enforcement and private investigators (among others) investigate criminal history.
Partners in relationships are curious about truthfulness and trustworthiness, inquiring about marriages, divorces, age, aliases, relatives, children and interests.
Lenders require records of property, bankruptcies, liens, judgments, lawsuits - in determining loan risk.
Buyers of services and merchandise want to know if sellers are legit - reviews, experiences, recommendations...
Social networks have spawned a craze in curiosity that has people imprisoned in their cell phones. Who likes me? my video? my blog?
Data junkies 'just want to know'. Using Google Dataset Search they can learn of the number of super rich people in greater China as of 2017, by city; Percentage of people saving money in South Korea 2017, by type - endless stats
Perhaps the most important search is that of ones self to see what's out there, to correct misinformation but mainly to see what other's can learn about 'me'.

People-search services have improved considerably over the years. Searching for and finding accurate details about people has also become easier and faster, fueling the addiction to 'people search'.

Find 100% True Free People Search

The extent of the effort made by scam sites using the word 'free' as click bait (leading to paid search services) is as annoying to information seekers as mosquitos are to caribou. Under our noses are two of the largest repositories of people data that are completely free: Google and Facebook, both of which can extend way beyond name, address, age and an obscured phone number (455-438-xxxx). It's rumored that Facebook was actually created by the CIA as a way of getting individuals to enter their personal information in one huge searchable database. If so, clever data mining. (How long would it take, and at what expense would it be, to contact 2.7 billion people, ask and record the information that each has volunteered: names, nicknames, pictures, videos, addresses, business affiliations, 'friends', personal preferences, political agendas, terrorist connections, places visited?)

The Best Free People Finders

Google search results are fast 'near matches' returning for example 1,560,000,000 (one billion five hundred sixty million) webpages for John Smith meaning that many websites have both of those names. Searching with "John Smith" in quotes will return only sites with that exact name, acting as a 'filter' eliminating all sites that don't have that - 28,500,000. "Captain John Smith' narrows the number of sites further to 854,000. Adding a middle initial returns only 26 results.

Literally anything and everything that has been made available about a person online could be found in Google search results: images, videos, news, shopping.

Facebook is similar. It doesn't show the number of matches but shows pictures when available. Search returns can be narrowed by including known data about the target like schools attended, location, vocation, events...

Another way to search any website for anything is to use this in the browser's address bar: site:google.com "True Free People Search" using quotes or not.

Search tip: When seeking free search platforms, know that the first listings at the top of most search results are placed their by businesses requiring payment for their services. Look for alerts to paid ads. In Google ads are flagged by 'Ad' surrounded by a green rectangle with rounded corners. Even if the listing suggests free results, it's safe to assume that free information will be very limited.

Check a Person's Background

The closest we're going to get a 'free background checks' are the 2 websites mentioned above. There are no known 'free background check services' but many local repositories (municipalities, counties, states, organizations) have records of arrests, incarcerations and convictions while other sources require authorization to access like credit reports, financial histories, medical, motor vehicle, license and military records.

What is a Background Check?

As the name suggests, a background check is an investigation of a person's history and could include looking into past employment, crimes, licenses, residences, credit, medical and military histories.

An OIG investigation lists people who have been convicted of health-care-related offenses who are prohibited from working in federally-funded health-care programs.
An E-Verify background check can be used by employers to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of new hires. The check compares I-9 information (Employment Eligibility Verification) to the employee's attestation of eligibility to work. This check is voluntary in most situations.
The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) contains only 35 million set of fingerprints (in a country with 330 million residents). This check is required of public schools, law enforcement agencies, airports, fire departments and hospitals. (The FBI makes copies of the Identity History Summary available For $18 and a fingerprint card.)
International background checks range up to $60 and can provide reports of criminal records, employment verification and education.
The accuracy of credit checks is somewhat questionable given the probability of inaccurate information, stolen identities and abuse by collection efforts. Presumably the checks reflect how people manage their personal finances, managing credit and paying bills on time. The history may include payment history, bankruptcies, judgments, credit inquiries, tax liens and collections as well as good Data. Agencies will provide free copies of reports to those who have been denied recently.
License checks seek to verify valid licenses claimed by those who apply for work in industries requiring licensing including accounting, administrators, banking, brokerage, builders, contractors, electricians, finances, insurance, medical, plumbers, professors, real estate, teachers

Free Public Records Search

The Public Record Research System (PRRS, brbpublications.com) provides links to searching for free at these online destinations: Federal Courts' Opinions and Decisions, Federal Sanctions Sites and Agencies, State Appellate and Supreme Court, State Occupational Licensing Boards, state, county, and city databases.

These are many (but not all) of the resource available: Attorney General, Birth Records, Business Entity, Campaign Finance, Cemetery Inscription, Court of Criminal Appeals, Criminal, Deaths, Divorces, Crash/Driving/Motor Carrier, Elections, Embassies, GED-HiSET, Incarceration, Inmates, Insurance Agency Fraud Enforcement Dispositions, Legislation and Statutes, Lobbyists, Marriages, Military, Property Data, Sales Tax Registration, Sex Offender Registry, State Archives, State Judicial System, Taxable Entity Verification, UCC (Unified Commercial Code-1) filings of liens, Unclaimed Funds/Property, Vehicle, Watercraft, Workers Compensation

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