Searching for people online is now simpler than ever – everyone’s personal data is readily available online nowadays, and with just a couple of minutes of exploring (and sometimes a little bit of money), you can procure detailed personal information on pretty. much anyone. There are many different ways of getting this data, but one of the simplest and most powerful places to begin is with this list of the best ‘people search engines’.
1. Pipl
Pipl is a people search engine that flushes the invisible web for data; basically, that means that you can get far more information about people than a standard search engine can give you. Pipl explores databases, search engines, social networks and more to get information that you can’t find on a basic search.
2. Facebook
You can use Facebook to look for people you went to college or high school with, as well as your work colleagues, friends from primary school, and even non-profit organizations. Facebook is even good for searching people in particular geographic locations, such as those living in your neighborhood that you may not know about, as well as any sort of group, club, or association.
3. Google
Using a search engine other than Google, you say? Heresy! Most readers will shun other modern search engines – most of which will combine Google results in with their own – and choose to get their hands dirty at the source. With ever more people boasting a comprehensive online presence, it’s easier than ever to look for people with general search engines such as Google – especially if you use the additional search parameters that most other search engines don’t have.
4. Wink
Wink scours through information that you’d discover on a normal search engine, as well as scraping data from social networking sites, online profiles and much more. One key feature is that you can handle all your entire online presence by creating a Wink account, where you can track your personal data and ‘claim’ the regular locations that you use when browsing, all from one manageable and accessible location.
5. Spock
Spock is another kind of people search engine that relies on various sources and grab as much data as it can about a person. In addition to providing data from different news sites and social media, Spock has a notification system that allows you to receive an email or an RSS alert when someone you’re tracking changes their data.
6. PeekYou
PeekYou lends a fascinating twist to the domain of free people search engines; it lets you to look for usernames over a variety of social networking sites. For example: say you may like to know more about the person who uses the moniker “I-Love-Chocolates”; you can use PeekYou to look what else they may be doing on the Internet under that username.
If you know of any other websites that offer more tips and tricks to find out more about people around the world, let us know in the comment section below!
