What is Yahoo People Search?:

Yahoo People Search, a service offered from Yahoo.com, is a simple search utility that searchers can use to find phone numbers, addresses, and email information. Some information that is found at Yahoo's People Search tool is supplied by Intelius, an information retrieval organization that licenses this data to Yahoo (this information is found in publicly accessible databases).

Most information found using Yahoo's People Search is absolutely free; if you decide to pursue the information that Intelius offers, you will have to pay a nominal fee.

What can you find with Yahoo's tool?:

Yahoo's people search tool is meant for quick answers. You can use it to find names, addresses, phone numbers, even email information. There are three sections: U.S. Phone and Address, Reverse Phone Numbers, and Email.

Phone and Address: A last name is the only field that is absolutely required. Start with just one field filled in, and then filter your results by filling in more than one field.

Reverse Phone Number: If all you have is a phone number, you can type it in this field to find an associated name and address.

Email: A last name is required in order to search for an email address.

How to filter your search results:

There are two main issues with Yahoo's People Search tool: either you get too many results, or too few.

To filter your results: If you are overwhelmed with how much information comes back, try filling in more than just one field.

For example, if you're looking for an address, fill in the state and zip code information in addition to the last name. This will narrow your results considerably.

To expand your results: If you're received too few results, simply remove some of the fields. Try looking for the first initial of a first name, rather than the entire name. Take out the city filter, and search statewide.

If you can't find who you are looking for:

 

If your searches are initially unsuccessful, try experimenting with the search fields, narrowing or widening your search filters with the information that you have. Many times all it takes to be successful is a simple search tweak that unearths previously hidden data.

However, sometimes people just can't be found. Yahoo People Search is only able to access public data compiled by a third-party information retrieval company. Therefore, if the person you are looking for is not listed publicly, Yahoo will not be able to retrieve relevant information.

Yahoo people search privacy:

Information found using Yahoo's people search tool is found in publicly accessible databases, online phone books, and public records. In other words, none of the information returned from Yahoo People Search is placed there without it being found somewhere on the Web where it already resides. You can request to have your information removed from the Yahoo People Search listings by using this removal form; however, this does not remove your information anywhere else on the Web (read How to Stay Private on the Web for more tips on how to keep yourself secure online).

How do I revise the information I've found about myself?:

Yahoo People Search gets all its information from Intelius, a third-party data provider that in turn gets all its information from publicly accessible databases (phone books, white pages, yellow pages, web directories, etc). If you are not listed in a public directory, or if you have an unlisted phone number, the likelihood of your information showing up at Yahoo People Search is very small. However, If you find something in error at Yahoo People Search, the best way to correct it is to fill out a help form. You can also remove your information (see above in "Yahoo Search Privacy" for details).

What is Yahoo People Search?:

Yahoo People Search is a simple, streamlined approach to finding data online. Yahoo offers three main categories from which to choose from: U.S. Phone and Addresses, Reverse Phone Numbers, and Email Search. All information is U.S.-centric at this time.

All information found using Yahoo's People Search tool is provided by Intelius, an information retrieval company that finds publicly accessible information (phone books, white pages, yellow pages) and funnels it to Yahoo's people search service. This information can be found on the Web and is available to the public at large; in other words, it is not sensitive, secure, or potentially harmful data.

Searchers using Yahoo's People Search tool can use it to find addresses, full names, phone numbers, and even email addresses. A last name is required in order to find a phone number or address. A reverse phone number search can retrieve names and addresses associated with that particular phone number, and a search for an email address (last name required) can return names, addresses, phone numbers, and related email information.

If users find information that is not correct in Yahoo's search results, they can opt to correct said information, or they can choose to remove their listings completely from Yahoo's search service. However, neither of these options will remove the information from where it originally resides online. Yahoo also offers a few services that you can leverage to find someone you're looking for, and here they are:

• Yahoo People Search is the main access point into the Yahoo phonebook. You can look up addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses here.
• Yahoo Yellow Pages: This is a simple business directory; you can search by topic + geographical area, for instance, "pizza san francisco" and you'll get a list of pizza joints with addresses and phone numbers.
• Yahoo International: This is where you can jump directly to any of Yahoo's portals all over the world; if you're looking for someone who resides in another country, this might be a good site to jump off from.

Overall, Yahoo's People Search tool is a fast and easy way to look up information, providing a useful shortcut for either uncovering or verifying names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.