Is it legal to look someone up online?

Short version: looking at information that is already public is generally legal almost everywhere. What you look at, why, and what you then do with it are where the lines are — and they matter more than most people realise.

Searching public information is usually fine

Reading a public social profile, Googling a name, viewing a company registry, or checking a people-search site means looking at information the world has already made available. In most countries, simply viewing public data is not a crime. This is exactly how you check your own exposure — and it is the foundation of what a legitimate privacy service does on your behalf, with your consent.

Where it crosses a line

The legal picture changes fast once you move from viewing public data to any of the following:

• Accessing private accounts — logging into someone else's email, social, or cloud account, or guessing their password, is illegal in most places, full stop.
• Buying stolen or breached data to build a profile.
• Tracking, monitoring, or surveilling a specific person — for example installing spyware, using hidden trackers, or persistent covert monitoring.
• Harassment or stalking — using what you find to intimidate, threaten, or repeatedly contact someone against their wishes.
• Misusing the information — for fraud, discrimination, or decisions (like hiring or lending) that are regulated in ways that ordinary web searches are not.

Consent and purpose matter

Even with public data, privacy laws such as the EU/UK GDPR and Singapore's PDPA care about why you are processing information and whether the person expected it. A parent reviewing a minor child's safety, or you authorising a service to search public sources about yourself, sit on very different ground from compiling a dossier on an ex-partner or a colleague.

How Ken stays on the right side of this

Ken only ever works to protect the person who hired us. We use exclusively public, lawful sources, act with explicit consent, and decline any request to investigate, locate, or monitor a third party without a lawful basis. We protect people — we do not surveil them.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and situation — if you have a specific concern, consult a qualified lawyer where you live.