LocatePeople.org is a popular people search website that allows you to look up contact information, background details, and public records for almost anyone in the United States. In this in-depth review, we’ll cover everything you need to know about LocatePeople, including how it works, what information you can find, where the data comes from, and the potential risks to your privacy.
As an online privacy expert with over 10 years of experience, I’ve thoroughly tested LocatePeople and dozens of similar people search engines. I’ll share my honest thoughts on the pros and cons of using LocatePeople, tips for removing your personal information from the site, and advice for protecting your sensitive details online. Whether you’re looking to reconnect with an old friend or concerned about your own digital footprint, this comprehensive guide to LocatePeople has you covered.
What is LocatePeople.org?
LocatePeople.org is a free people search engine and public records database. The site aggregates personal information from public records and other online sources into detailed background reports on millions of American adults. By searching a name, phone number, email or physical address on LocatePeople, you can potentially access that person’s:
- Age and date of birth
- Contact information
- Current and past addresses
- Relatives and associates
- Social media profiles
- Education and employment history
- Property records and asset ownership
- Criminal records, mugshots and court cases
- Marriages, divorces and relationships
The depth of information available can be quite extensive, making LocatePeople a powerful tool for finding people online. However, that same capability also raises some major privacy concerns, as we’ll discuss later in this review.
How LocatePeople Works
Searching for someone on LocatePeople is a simple three-step process:
- Enter a name, phone number or address into the LocatePeople search bar.
- Browse the matching results to find the person you’re looking for. Listings include age, location and possible relatives to help narrow it down.
- Click on a result to view the available details in that person’s background report.
Basic information like full name, age, city/state and possible relatives are visible for free. But for full access to the detailed background reports, including contact info, location history, criminal records and more, you’ll need to purchase a subscription. LocatePeople offers memberships starting at $18.28/month after a 5-day trial for $1.
What sets LocatePeople apart from a typical search engine is the massive amount of aggregated personal data it provides in one place. Reports can span 30+ pages and piece together details pulled from social media, government databases, court records and other publicly available sources online and offline.
Where Does LocatePeople Get Its Data?
The information in LocatePeople’s reports comes from three main sources:
- Public Records and Official Sources The primary source is official public records, such as government and court databases. This includes:
- Birth certificates and death records
- Marriage licenses and divorce decrees
- Property ownership and assessments
- Voter registration files
- Federal and state licensing boards
- Police blotters and court dockets
- Web Scraping and Cookies LocatePeople also gathers information from commercial sources online. The site uses scrapers and bots to automatically index personal information made public on social media profiles, company websites, news articles and more.
Additionally, like many websites, LocatePeople uses browser cookies and tracking beacons to collect data on their own visitors’ identities and site usage. As their privacy policy states: “We collect IP addresses, browser types, access times, referring/exit pages, clicked links, search terms and pages viewed.“
- Third-Party Data Providers Lastly, LocatePeople may purchase access to personal data from other companies. Many businesses, including frequent flyer programs, magazine publishers and charities, sell their customer databases to third-party brokers. People search sites like LocatePeople can then buy this aggregated information to supplement what they get from public records and web scraping.
The practice of collecting and selling personal data is largely unregulated in the US. And the combination of digitized public records, expansive online footprints and commercialized data has enabled people search sites to build incredibly comprehensive background reports with minimal effort or oversight.
Is LocatePeople Legit and Legal to Use?
People search sites occupy a legal gray area. The information they provide generally originates from public records and publicly accessible sources online. Legally speaking, data that is already public is fair game to be republished and sold.
But while people search sites may be legal, they’re not without controversy. Having your personal information so easily accessible to anyone online comes with serious privacy risks:
- Identity theft and financial fraud
- Cyberstalking and physical harassment
- Doxing and online shaming
- Discrimination by employers, landlords, etc.
- Abuse by controlling partners or exes
- Spam, robocalls and targeted ads
Even if the data is from public records, putting it all together in one convenient background report makes it much easier for bad actors to access and exploit your information. Many privacy advocates argue that people search sites enable stalking, fraud and other crimes. Some jurisdictions, like the EU, have begun cracking down on the industry under new data privacy laws.
For its part, LocatePeople does acknowledge the sensitivity of the information it provides. The site requires users to agree to their terms of service, which prohibit illegal uses of their data, such as to stalk, harass or commit fraud. But ultimately, once the information is out there, it’s out of LocatePeople’s hands how it actually gets used.
LocatePeople.org Pros and Cons
So is LocatePeople worth using? As with most people search engines, there are some significant benefits and drawbacks to consider:
Pros:
- Convenient, one-stop access to contact info, background checks and public records
- Detailed reports spanning criminal, property, social and professional data points
- Helpful for reconnecting with friends/family or vetting dates, tenants, etc.
- Reports generated in seconds vs. manual public records searches
Cons:
- Makes your sensitive personal info easily accessible to anyone online
- Can enable harassment, stalking, discrimination, fraud and other misuse
- Mixes data from reliable public records with unverified web sources
- Little control over what info is collected or how it gets used
- Most comprehensive details hidden behind a paywall
- Tricky cancellation and opt-out processes
- Not subject to accuracy regulations like the FCRA
Whether the convenience is worth the privacy risks is a personal decision. At a minimum, it’s important to be aware that your info may be available on sites like LocatePeople and to take steps to protect yourself if needed.
How to Remove Your Info from LocatePeople
Thankfully, LocatePeople does offer an opt-out process for removing your personal information from the site. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Search for yourself on LocatePeople.org.
- Find your listing in the search results (name, age and location should match).
- Click on your listing and Copy your Report ID number.
- Scroll to the bottom of LocatePeople.org and click on the “Exercise My Privacy Rights” link.
- On the Your Privacy Choices page, paste in the Report ID number of your listing.
- Fill out the required fields (first and last name, email).
- Complete the CAPTCHA and click submit.
- Please look in your email inbox for a message from LocatePeople.org. Once you find it, open the message and click on the link inside to complete your opt-out request.
LocatePeople will process the removal request within 48 hours. You’ll receive a confirmation email once your info has been deleted.
Some additional opt-out tips:
- Search for common variations and misspellings of your name.
- Opt out each adult family member individually.
- Perform new searches every few months to catch any re-added listings.
Removing your info from LocatePeople is an important first step. But dozens of other data brokers have similar sites. You’ll need to go through the same opt-out steps on each one to fully clean up your digital footprint.
For hands-free, automated data removal, consider using a professional service like InternetPrivacy. We specialize in quickly and securely deleting your personal information from 50+ people search sites, data brokers and related databases. Protect yourself from people search sites with a single click.
Along with data broker opt-outs, here are some other important online privacy tips:
- Tighten your social media privacy settings or go private/anonymous.
- Ask to have your info removed from organizational directories (member lists, alumni databases, etc.)
- Consider registering to vote anonymously.
- Password protect online court records when possible.
- Use a VPN, encrypted email and privacy-focused web browsers.
- Carefully vet websites and apps before giving any personal information.
- Opt out of targeted advertising and data broker sites.
- Invest in identity theft monitoring.
LocatePeople.org Alternatives
Dozens of people search engines offer similar background reports to LocatePeople. Popular alternatives include:
Each varies slightly in its data sources, pricing, and bonus features like phone apps or identity theft insurance. But ultimately, they all provide the same core people search functionality by aggregating personal data from public records and internet sources.
FAQs
Is LocatePeople free?
No, full access to background reports requires a paid subscription. But basic info like name, age and location are available for free on initial search results.
How far back do LocatePeople’s records go?
Reports can include decades of data, with birth records from the 1900s and marriage/divorce records from 30-40 years ago. But the depth of info depends on the data sources available for each person.
Can I search for someone in another country on LocatePeople?
No, LocatePeople only has records on people in the United States.
How often is LocatePeople’s data updated?
LocatePeople updates its database daily, but some public records may only be pulled on a monthly or yearly basis. Expect a possible lag time of a few weeks for data accuracy.
Does LocatePeople notify me if someone searched for me?
No, LocatePeople does not provide any notification or tracking of who has viewed your background report.
Key Takeaways
- LocatePeople.org is a popular people search engine that compiles personal data from online and offline public records into detailed background reports.
- Reports can include a person’s contact info, addresses, relatives, criminal records, social profiles and more.
- Data comes from government records, web scraping, cookies and third-party brokers.
- Having your info on LocatePeople is legal but comes with serious privacy risks like stalking, fraud and discrimination.
- You can opt out by searching for your listing and submitting LocatePeople’s online removal form.
- Comprehensive digital privacy requires opting out of many other data broker sites as well. Consider using a professional removal service for efficiency.
- Other privacy best practices include tightening social media settings, using VPNs and ad blockers, and carefully vetting sites before giving personal info.
With the demise of phonebooks and rise of online public records, people search engines like LocatePeople have made it alarmingly simple to dig up detailed information on almost anyone. Accessible, affordable background checks may offer peace of mind for some users. But the cost is a massive loss of individual privacy that many find unacceptable.
As long as data brokers are allowed to indiscriminately vacuum up and sell our personal information, vigilance and proactive effort will be key to protecting your digital privacy. Opting out, guarding access and supporting stronger regulations are crucial to keeping your sensitive details out of the wrong hands. Stay informed and stay safe out there!
