Sometimes the term is also applied in relation to attempts to find individuals regarded as missing.
To start a person / people search, click here
As first step in the process of people search all known data referring to the
person to be found are carefully gathered and investigated, since hypothetically
every piece of information represents an important cue characterizing the
individuality and inimitability of the lost person. As indispensable sources of
information in this case serve the family circle and close acquaintances and
friends. Anyhow, more often than not parents and siblings can turn out to be
that essential missing link that will eventually provide an opportunity of
localizing the person and establishing a contact.
From the legal point of view a person searching for his or her biological
parents makes use of the Right of Being Informed of the Actual Parentage. In
fact, the meaning of this law allows an adopted person (adoption), only on
entering full age however, to search for his or her actual parents regardless of
the agreement or disagreement on the side of the adoptive parents.
1 Internet searches
2 Telephone directories
3 Address register office
4 Parish registers
5 References
When using the help of search engines, one can insert a definite name and find
out the whole vertigo range of electronic pages referring to the name in
question in this way or another. Search method of this type is justified mostly
in reference to people with unusual, rare, or foreign forenames or surnames.
Apart from that the Internet provides domains to certain foundations which
specialize in helping to reunite former classmates. Other agencies can provide
assistance in localizing other categories of „lost“ relations, like family
members, friends or acquaintances. Aside foundations, paid people search sites
have become very popular and prolific in the United States.
Taking advantage of public records availability in the United States, a number
of Web based companies began purchasing U.S. public records data and selling it
online. The number of sites making this data available online is staggering.
These types of sites are usually fit into one of three categories: genealogy,
people search and background checks. Though many pay people search sites may
provide all of the three types of services mentioned, paid people search sites
tend to specialize in one niche of people search.
In the genealogy category, Ancestry is by far the most prolific of all U.S.
based genealogy websites that charge a fee for database access. Conversely, the
LDS church operates a free genealogy site Family Search which gives users free
access to many of the same databases used by fee-based sites.
In the category of people search, the number of companies that provide this
service is staggering. However, the most popular and probably widely used Web
based people search service is Yahoo. Yahoo offers a free people search service
that allows the user to search for both e-mail and physical addresses as well as
phone number. However, Yahoo and many other free people searches are dependant
on White Pages data and often don't have the most current or accurate records
depending upon their particular data source. Additionally, the proliferation of
cell phones has created a fissure in the comprehensive listings usually found in
traditional telephone directories. Yet, in an attempt to bolster sales at their
fee-based sites, many paid people search sites will offer a "free" white pages
listing that is usually more current than the wholly free services.
Apart from the users that get satisfactory results from free Web based people
search services, there are those that will inevitably use a fee-based Web people
search service. Most Web based people search services in the United States
purchase their data from the same sources. Therefore, when selecting a pay
people search site you must consider how often that vendor is purchasing and
refreshing their data source. Additionally, it is wise to consider how each
vendor aggregates and presents search data and which aggregate and presentation
is most relevant to your search type. Also, purchasing a 24-hour membership from
pay sites is the most economically sound way to evaluate their data. A
membership allows you to perform multiple searches for a low price.
Address register office
Predominantly (though not worldwide accepted) it is also possible to send a
request to the register office that was in charge of the lost person's last
valid address. As a rule one must direct a written letter of request and after
remitting a minor fee receive the corresponding information. However,
essentially required for this sort of people search is the full fore- and
surname as well as the birth date of the person, in order to eliminate the risk
of referring to a wrong identity.
Telephone directories
Nowadays there exists a stunning versatility of numerous telephone books
(telephone directory), both printed editions issued by major telephone companies
(e.g. Deutsche Telekom AG in Germany), alternatively CD-ROM or DVD-editions, and
online sources. In this reference quite typical recently two terms are used: the
so-called „yellow pages“ catering for business enterprises and other
organizations, and „white pages“ applied to the database of private telephone
customers. Being annually updated and systematized, telephone books provide a
relatively reliable source of information for people search, moreover their
undoubted advantage remains the possibility of searching not only for the
telephone number (as well as commonly the address data) of the person whose
exact full name is known, but also in the reciprocal direction (i.e. „inverted
search“) – i.e., the telephone number can be used to retrieve the unknown
personal information (name and address).
Until recently this sort of information was considered to refer to the private
sphere of each individual and therefore could not be breached and be publicly
accessible. However, though majorly influenced through the alteration of
telecommunication laws and regulations, the appearance of this sort of
commercial production can hardly be regarded as accomplished and is still on the
way to perfection. One of the prevailing inconsistencies is caused by the fact
of privacy maintenance, in accordance with which a client unwilling to allow of
„inverted search“ over his personality is able to expel his or her name and
telephone number from the telephone book. Some local telephone providers can
also perform this function automatically on behalf of their clients. Thus,
people search even on hand of an updated telephone book can hardly guarantee a
successful outcome. However, a search for the lost person's parents, friends or
partners in the telephone book can partially compensate for this shortcoming and
enhance the chances.