Can I just enter a name and search for someone?

Question

It all looks so easy on TV. They just put in a name and up come all the details - I don't think it can really be like this or I wouldn't have to find friends from school, college, work etc.

I only want to find out if someone is basically still around. Can this be done without invading their privacy?

Answer 1

classmates.com

Answer 2

Any time you do stuff on the Internet, you leave footprints that search engines can find.

Any time you are mentioned in news media, this also.

If you have a blog, or are active in discussion groups, ditto.

Thus the degree to which you are active on Internet, or have a high profile in like school newspaper, then there will be a lot about you on the Internet.

There are web sites of various kinds that might have info on you and you not know it.  There is a current controversy with respect to "Public Records."  

* Suppose you are a registered voter, well that means you are on a list of them.

* Suppose you own a home or other property, well that means you are on a list of people who pay taxes.

These government records are supposed to be accessible to the general public in such a way that your social security # is not out in public, your e-mail not a target for con artists and scammers, but some info on you is listed.  But people who work in government are just like ordinary people, making ordinary mistakes, perhaps even more if the office deliberately does low pay or off-shore outsources the work to be done,

Plus if you are in a phone book, and that phone book is also on the Internet.

Go to search engine & key in

* your full name, or

* the name most people know you by,

* or your street address

* or your home phone #

see how many hits you get.

Do NOT try this with your social security # or credit card account # because anything you do in a search engine is saved for other searchers to see

Answer 3

Yes you can search on-line electoral registers.  But this does cost.

Answer 4

awww i was just on this website that was for free and you enetered a name of someone and it told you theyre birthday and whne they died if they did and where they live and i think theyre # too. So there is such thing. sometimes you can search it like on google  or something. good luck

Answer 5

If you just put someone's name into google, you'll be SURPRISED what you can come up with.

Another good website is www.zoominfo.com.  You can search by name, profession, and other criteria.  I've found several college friends on there... and I'm doing better than THEY are!  ;)