Who knows what I did last summer?
May 23, 2012 4:58 AM Subscribe
How can I do a thorough background check on myself? What can be found out about me, by fair means or foul, for free and for a price?
If someone wanted to dig up the dirt on me online how would they go about it? What services exist to find out info about someone that are worthwhile? Do web ad networks ever sell personal data about individual people's browsing habits and online activity? Are there any services which will compile the known info on someone for a fee? Also I'd like to know how to address any violations of my privacy that might exist.
I'm asking anonymously because I don't want someone prying into my life wondering what I'm trying to hide in asking this question. My secrets are not so deep or so dark, but they're mine and I sometimes wonder if any are known.
I'm feeling paranoid and I'd just like to know what someone who is competent in digging up the dirt on someone would dig up on me.
If someone wanted to dig up the dirt on me online how would they go about it? What services exist to find out info about someone that are worthwhile? Do web ad networks ever sell personal data about individual people's browsing habits and online activity? Are there any services which will compile the known info on someone for a fee? Also I'd like to know how to address any violations of my privacy that might exist.
I'm asking anonymously because I don't want someone prying into my life wondering what I'm trying to hide in asking this question. My secrets are not so deep or so dark, but they're mine and I sometimes wonder if any are known.
I'm feeling paranoid and I'd just like to know what someone who is competent in digging up the dirt on someone would dig up on me.
Do you have a Facebook account? Do you ever accept random friend requests, or accept friend requests from someone you don't know well just because that person is a friend of one of your friends? There's a huge gap in your privacy, if your answer is yes.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:16 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by IndigoRain at 5:16 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
(Oh yeah, and in that post I'm assuming you already have most of your profile options set to friends only, not friends of friends or public.)
posted by IndigoRain at 5:17 AM on May 23, 2012
posted by IndigoRain at 5:17 AM on May 23, 2012
Assuming you live in the US, you may want to search yourself on Zabasearch. Click on the Get Your Report link and then the Advanced Background link. You will have to pay (currently $33.95) and you will be horrified what they know about you.
posted by TheRaven at 5:32 AM on May 23, 2012
posted by TheRaven at 5:32 AM on May 23, 2012
For-pay services exist which will reveal a surprising amount of information about you cobbled together from public records. For example, Lexis has a public records search which is creepily powerful. If I run a search on myself, I get every address I've lived at since 1985--including some from college--my birth date, the first five of my SSN, my relatives, and an old driver's license.
But that's just because I haven't owned property or gotten in much trouble. The search connects to databases including sexual offender registries, real property assets, vehicle registrations, criminal filings, etc. Not all of the databases are online or all that well connected, but just the information in that search would enable someone to make the right phone calls and learn almost every publicly available fact about a person.
Short version: just about everything you do that involves giving information to someone else, especially the government, is a matter of public record and can be found with a minimum of effort if you know where to look. Searching these records takes time and money, but it's doable. This is why private investigators have jobs.
posted by valkyryn at 6:19 AM on May 23, 2012
But that's just because I haven't owned property or gotten in much trouble. The search connects to databases including sexual offender registries, real property assets, vehicle registrations, criminal filings, etc. Not all of the databases are online or all that well connected, but just the information in that search would enable someone to make the right phone calls and learn almost every publicly available fact about a person.
Short version: just about everything you do that involves giving information to someone else, especially the government, is a matter of public record and can be found with a minimum of effort if you know where to look. Searching these records takes time and money, but it's doable. This is why private investigators have jobs.
posted by valkyryn at 6:19 AM on May 23, 2012
Anyone with access to Lexis Nexis can find criminal convictions, legal judgments against you, tax liens, former addresses, marriages and divorces, name changes and in some places, real property and car registrations.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:18 AM on May 23, 2012
posted by Ideefixe at 9:18 AM on May 23, 2012
I live in Polk County, FL - here is the site for the Polk County Criminal Court. Type in any name, and the entire criminal history of that person in this county will come up, from traffic tickets to felonies. Nearly every USA county offers this service - for both criminal and civil court. Court records are public records.
The last bit is true but the accessibility of public records varies widely depending on where you live or have lived. Florida is among the most open states in the country due to its Sunshine Law but in many places you have to go to the courthouse to request physical copies of court records, property records, etc because they are not online. You can get info on what's available in your area with this handy guide.
As others have mentioned, proprietary databases contain appalling amounts of information about you. Some of this is available online to anyone willing to pay but you should go through a private investigator if you want a full dossier.
posted by otio at 9:38 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
The last bit is true but the accessibility of public records varies widely depending on where you live or have lived. Florida is among the most open states in the country due to its Sunshine Law but in many places you have to go to the courthouse to request physical copies of court records, property records, etc because they are not online. You can get info on what's available in your area with this handy guide.
As others have mentioned, proprietary databases contain appalling amounts of information about you. Some of this is available online to anyone willing to pay but you should go through a private investigator if you want a full dossier.
posted by otio at 9:38 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
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If someone wanted to do a quick free search, they could easily go to the county court records for each county where you live. Most counties in the USA now have both civil and criminal history online. I live in Polk County, FL - here is the site for the Polk County Criminal Court. Type in any name, and the entire criminal history of that person in this county will come up, from traffic tickets to felonies. Nearly every USA county offers this service - for both criminal and civil court. Court records are public records.
posted by Flood at 5:06 AM on May 23, 2012