There is a non-illusory chance that someone is looking online for information about you right now. The Internet is full of sites and services where you can get your hands on personal data. Some are free, some are paid.
The feeling, let's face it, is not very pleasant when you suspect that someone is trying to gather information about your personality. Most likely, this person entering your first and last name into Google does not intend to cause you trouble, but it is still useful to know who is interested in your person.
Information about you can be looked for by a potential employer, a former lover, and even a close relative with whom you have not seen for a long time. In this article, we'll look at five of the most common ways to track mentions and find personal information on the Internet.
How do you know who is trying to collect information about you?
If you are worried that someone may be looking for information about you, we want to upset you. Unfortunately, there is no way to identify these types of actors.
Most of the time, friendly buddies can show up through Facebook, but some can take advantage of other means.
While it is nearly impossible to find out who is collecting information about you, at least the same tools can be used. For example, you won't be able to find out who is looking for you on Google, but you can set up alerts for when your name appears on a website, forum, or social network.
Next, you can track who posted the corresponding message, and roughly understand where the legs grow from.
1. Google Alerts
The first thing to do is set up your Google Alerts. At first glance, this method may turn out to be a little selfish, but in fact, this is the first step to keep abreast of events regarding your person. You just shouldn't tell that you use this service to track the background information regarding your personality.Log in to Google and go to google.com/alerts. Then you need to enter your name in the field at the very top of the page and click on the CreateAlert button.
Additional options are available by clicking on the ShowOptions link, where you can set the frequency of alerts and the email for sending the results. In addition, a preview of the alert is available for viewing.
Now, when Google spots your name on websites, news, social networks, forums or blog, it will send an email alert.
2. Mention.com
The functionality of this web service for monitoring mentions is similar to Google Alerts, but here the emphasis is on social networks. There are also apps for Windows 10, macOS, Android and iPhone. Registration is free. In addition, there is a 14-day free period to get acquainted with all the possibilities of the service.
After registration and authorization, you can immediately start creating alerts. Up to 4 additional are available on the Starter plan, which you can use, for example, to track information about family members.
Once you click on GetStarted, it will scan resources including blogs, forums and social networks (such as Facebook and Twitter)
To change the list of sources scanned by default, on the toolbar, click on the button for editing alerts.
The toolbar also displays all the events associated with the alert, sent by default to email. After receiving the letter, click on the notification to immediately find out in what context your name is mentioned.
3. LinkedIn Profile
A LinkedIn profile is a great way to find new jobs for freelancers, experts, and anyone else looking to change their careers. On the other hand, according to your profile information, someone might find you.
On LinkedIn, you can track the total number of views over a given period. Paid accounts provide complete information about those who viewed your profile, free ones - only a small part.
Typically, LinkedIn is used to find new hires. But if you want to know exactly who viewed your profile and why, then you will have to use paid services.
4. Relatives search services
Sentimental meetings of relatives who have not seen each other for a long time occupy consistently high ratings on television. The creators of such programs also help to restore connections lost after many years.
There are various services for tracking family members working under the umbrella of "family research"
For example, websites for finding foster children (such as www.adopteeconnect.com) can be used to track you or your close family members who have lost contact. While no agency would allow contact with prospective adoptive children without permission, registering with one of these sites assumes consent has been given.
In addition, in theory, you can use the huge database of the genealogical research project www.ancestry.com and track your current location.
This service is one of many dedicated to researching your family tree. However, as with the tools mentioned above, this site can also be used for malicious purposes.
As a member of the Ancestry community, you will be notified if you are added to other family trees. However, it is impossible to say reliably whether who checked your data and the data of your relatives. In addition, it is possible to hide information from unauthorized access by third parties.
5 obituaries and death notices
It is noteworthy that death notices can also provide a clue about your whereabouts.
What if your other half died and you were mentioned in an obituary published in the local press and replicated in the online media. In fact, this information may be more than enough to understand where you are.
Many people have the same names. Common and not very common. Perhaps this similarity will not really matter, but it is still worth taking into account this fact. After all, this kind of information may be the final piece of the puzzle for someone trying to track you down.
In addition, press coverage of birthdays and weddings can also help you find your location.
Conclusion
Someone will definitely be looking for information about you. If not now, then in the future. Be it friends, family members, fans, collectors, potential employers, or even criminals.We cannot know exactly who is searching, but we can track the general interest in our person. There are five main ways to track mentions and search for personal information:
- Google Alerts.
- Services for monitoring mentions on social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
- Professional social media like LinkedIn.
- Public databases and sites dedicated to the study of family trees.
- Obituaries and reports of the death of relatives.
