PEOPLE FINDERS |
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The Law Library Staff prepares "Frequently Asked Questions" for the convenience of our users to provide access to a variety of sources addressing particular points of law. These are general legal information sources, and are not to be construed as a substitute for personal legal advice from an attorney. Please seek legal counsel to help you determine the applicability of any of the information in these resources to your specific situation. The Law Library makes no recommendation as to whether you should purchase any services offered by the websites contained in this FAQ. |
If you’re trying to find information about a person, there are a number of research guides that are comprehensive. It might be best to take a quick look at one or more of these because the sites that we list following this section are just the most basic. We have indicated the types of information that the comprehensive sites cover.
Please check our Public Records and Privacy FAQs which may expand some of the information on this site.
Sue Altmeyer’s ORALL Presention, Easy Access to Public Records (thorough explanation of what constitutes a public record). This is a PowerPoint presentation, but the links do not connect.
Howrey LLP (law firm): Finding People: Sites are arranged alphabetically by name, not by subject.
Zimmerman’s Research Guide: Finding People - Includes a great deal of information on fee-based services. It has a detailed listing of sites involving Social Security numbers
General searches include white and yellow pages. White pages features can be reverse look-ups, where you can put in a phone number to find the listing. Some white pages have a “neighbors” feature, where you can find the neighbors of a given address. Professional associations and licensing agencies are another general search if you know that a person is a lawyer, doctor, etc.
Map services provide driving directions, aerial views and street views. Social networking sites such as FaceBook, etc. may provide information on a given individual. General web searches through Google, Bing, etc. may also locate an individual. There are also specialty searches such as those for Social Security numbers.
Much of the information about a person is available only on a fee basis. For example, both Lexis and Westlaw include information on people and their assets. The Cleveland Law Library subscribes to a database called OPEN, that includes information on driving records, criminal records, employment screening, etc. You will have to show that you have a legitimate reason for the search and are using the information only as permitted by law, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Library also subscribes to Accurint; these services are available to our members, who pay for the cost of the searches.
Here is a list of the most basic internet people-finding sites.
Created on:
July 16, 2004 -
