Can you search names on the Internet?

People can search names on the Internet to find old friends and former classmates, as part of genealogy research and to check out prospective employees and tenants. Public record information on a person is available to anyone who requests it, although the requester may have to pay to access it.

Social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are common places to search names. Classmates.com offers search by school and class year to its members. Ancestry.com lets people search on names past and present; its members can connect with one another to inquire about common ancestors.

Pipl.com is one of many search engines for information about people. Searching a name on Pipl.com returns basic information such as name, address, age and household members, but users must pay to get more information. Other information that may be available includes professional licenses, court records, credit history and online photos.