Find a person online without confusing identity or privacy
Use a legitimate purpose, compare public professional clues and respect the person's chosen contact routes.
Follow the method ↓
The answer in 30 seconds
A name search can mix several people, outdated profiles and information that was never meant to be used for contact. Finding an address or phone number does not create a reason to use it.
Define why you need to identify the person, compare public context such as organisation and role, and contact them only through a professional or other channel they have deliberately published.
Examples to adapt
Use the event programme and institutional profile to confirm authorship.
Prefer an opt-in professional network or a mutual introduction.
Check several independent identifiers rather than one matching photograph.
Follow the method
- 1State the purpose
Write down the information actually needed and avoid collecting unrelated details.
- 2Compare context
Cross-check organisation, field, publication and date across public sources.
- 3Control uncertainty
Do not merge records when identifiers conflict or remain ambiguous.
- 4Choose contact
Use the person's published contact route, if contact is appropriate at all.
A checklist to keep
Use these checks to record what you found. The grid supports a decision; it does not make one for you.
| Check | What to examine | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Why is this identification needed? | Limit |
| Name | Could several people match? | Check |
| Context | Do role and organisation agree? | Compare |
| Date | Is the profile current? | Verify |
| Contact | Was the route published for use? | Respect |
Free, no sign-up. UTF-8 text with semicolon-separated columns.
What to check
A search result may expose an old or misattributed profile.
Public visibility is not consent to intrusive reuse.
Names and photographs alone rarely prove identity.
Common questions
Can I use a phone number found in an aggregator?
Prefer a contact method the person or organisation has intentionally published for your purpose.
What if two profiles still look alike?
Keep the uncertainty explicit and avoid attributing one person's record to another.
Sources and documentation
Documentation consulted on . Examples are illustrative; interfaces and results may change.