How to Check the History of Other People on the Computer
Social-media and networking sites make it faster and easier to search a person's history on the computer. These sites store a person's personal data in profiles, resumes and digital correspondence in posts and messages. Public search records online allow a user to check criminal backgrounds, police records, past marriages and other details for free or a small fee. Searching and accessing a person's background in the U.S. is legal if you follow the laws set by the Federal Trade Commission's Safe Web Act (2006). See Resources for links to the FTC website and amendments to the Safe Web Act regarding privacy laws and online security.
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Instructions
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Search for an old friend, aquaintence, or colleague online using social media tools. Scour public records. Use Abika (Abika.com) or Public Records Search Online (Publicrecordssearchonline.org) to search a person's history. Register on the site to gain full access (some charge fees). Tap into marriage records, divorce records, past roommates and spouses online. Of course, the search will only yield information a person has entered into a computer or what has been logged in by police, courts and other government entities.
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Log on or register for a Facebook account. In the search tab, enter the name of a person whose history you want to search. Some Facebook users allow anyone to see their profile, wall (public messages) and to send in-mail. Other users require that a person "friend" them before sharing any public information.
Submit a friend request to the individual if their page is not public. If they accept your request, check out their public profile to view past jobs, partners, messages and other information. The person has posted these details to share willingly, so you are free to search their history and, if you're interested in joining the community, supply your own.
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Visit a professional networking site. Log in or register for LinkedIn (Linkedin.com), Ecademy (Ecademy.com), or similar business networking site. Enter a person's name in the search tab. Or, search using a job, company name or groups category. Some networking sites allow any user to access a member's full profile, including past and present resumes, recommendations from employers and coworkers, and personal information. Other sites require that you add the contact to your network. Send an in-mail message or request a connection to view the person's historical and current data.
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Find a family tree online to learn about a person's history. Register on an ancestry site. If you're looking to research longer-term history than someone's last resume or social media post, check an ancestry website. Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, or GeneaBios.com all offer comprehensive ancestral searches. GeneaBios features user-generated biographies of old friends, acquaintances and storied relatives. Use the site's search tools to scour the Internet for an individual or family tree. Mine personal data there and, if you're inclined, start a family tree of your own.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit old album image by Alexander Kosenkov from Fotolia.com search image by jcpjr from Fotolia.com family tree image by Judy Ben Joud from Fotolia.com
