Finding hidden social media accounts may be necessary when you are concerned about someone’s online behavior, or if you are simply curious about the types of social media accounts someone has in their name.
It can be confusing to find these accounts, however, as anyone who hides their social media profiles usually takes steps to make their accounts difficult to find. Fortunately, our article gives you some of the best and most useful search methods around today to help you find any hidden social media accounts you are concerned about.
Is It Possible to Hide Social Media Accounts?
It is possible to hide social media accounts. After all, there is no true identity verification when you sign up for most social media websites, and you can utilize the settings on all social media websites to keep your details as private as possible. Many people choose to do this when they are creating an account just for themselves or to participate in online communities where they do not want to be recognized outside of the online space.
Using a combination of private settings, alternate contact information, and alternate names can help you keep your social media accounts as hidden as possible.
Why Are Hidden Social Media Accounts a Problem?
While it can be ok to hide your social media accounts if you are concerned about privacy, hidden social media accounts can actually be a problem in some cases.
Most notably, if a hidden social media account is engaged in identity theft, meaning if the account stole someone’s pictures, name, or contact information, then the account could be considered fraudulent. This is especially an issue if the hidden account is using false information to scam or mislead someone.
Other issues with hidden social media accounts occur when children or those under the age of 18 create social media accounts and hide them from the adults in their lives. With accounts like these that potentially have false age settings, children and teens are exposed to things on the internet that are not age-appropriate.
Many parents may be worried about their child having a hidden social media account, which is why it is important to know how to find these accounts.
How to Find Hidden Social Media Accounts: Top Methods
Searching for hidden social media accounts might seem impossible at first, but there are a few different methods that you can keep in mind when you are searching for any accounts that might be just out of sight. Below, we give you our top search methods to find hidden social media accounts.
Name Search Tools
Name search tools are a type of public record search tool that connects a name to all social media accounts and online presence that might be available. This can be helpful when searching for hidden social media accounts, as most people creating these accounts will utilize some part of their real name to create the name on their profile.
If you don’t want to use a name search tool, you can use a basic Google search to track down social media accounts connected to someone’s name. Simply put quotation marks around someone’s name to return results with that exact name and filter your search with location and website indicators.
Reverse Image Searches
If someone isn’t using their true name on a hidden social media account, they may be using pictures with their likeness. You can track down hidden social media accounts by taking a picture of someone and running it through a reverse image search; any accounts with pictures that match the one you search with will be returned to you.
A reverse image search can be especially helpful if you are concerned about a hidden social media account on a website like Instagram or Facebook, where pictures are a big part of social media usage.
Public Record Databases
Public record databases are incredibly helpful when it comes to finding traces of someone’s digital footprint and other relevant offline activity.
You can utilize an online public record search tool to find details about someone’s online activity; search a person’s name, email address, or home address to find all information connected with that person, including social media accounts that are potentially connected to their information.
If you are searching for details about someone in person, you can utilize government public record databases to look through property records, marriage and divorce records, and other relevant documents. You can then use the information in these documents and public records to conduct internet searches or online public record searches to find someone’s hidden social media accounts.
Alternative Online Communities
When we think about social media accounts, we typically think of the most popular websites like Instagram, Facebook, and even LinkedIn. However, there are plenty of alternative online communities where it is a little easier to keep your social media account hidden and anonymous.
You can browse websites like Reddit and Quora, or you can look through forums that are related to the person’s interests, such as online forums for certain TV shows or video games. From there, you can look at the online interactions and narrow down users to the person you are looking for.
You should keep in mind when doing this that it can be somewhat easy to keep identities hidden on other forums, and you shouldn’t attempt to contact a user on an alternative online community with accusations of their identity; it is possible to be incorrect, or, if you are correct, you may upset the person you are searching for.
If you have a concern about someone’s safety and well-being after finding their hidden social media accounts, speak to them offline and check in with them instead of making accusations and revealing how much you know about their online behavior.
What If I Can’t Find Someone’s Hidden Social Media Account?
If you are having trouble finding someone’s hidden social media account after using all of our recommended search methods, it may be that the person you are looking for simply doesn’t have any social media accounts hidden from view.
Sometimes, people do truly choose to stay as offline as possible and limit their digital footprint, either for personal preference or privacy reasons.
That being said, being unable to find someone’s hidden social media accounts may also be a result of the person having a very well-hidden online identity. This can usually be achieved with some combination of VPNs to hide IP addresses, alternate email addresses and phone numbers, and fake names.
Generally, if a person is utilizing all of these things to hide their social media account, they are very cautious about their online activity being traced or discovered. In these cases, it may be better to stop searching for a hidden social media account unless the person you know is exhibiting concerning or dangerous behavior.
Is It Legal to Have a Hidden Social Media Account?
It is perfectly legal to have hidden social media accounts or alternate social media accounts, as long as you are not using the account to mislead anyone or engage in fraud.
If you are using someone else’s images and name to craft your account, this could be considered identity theft, so you should always be sure that you, or someone else, are not stealing a person’s information to create alternate hidden social media accounts.
How Can I Protect My Digital Footprint?
Protecting your digital footprint is an essential part of keeping your online activities private, instead of letting social media websites track you and giving other people an easy look into your life. If you are considering hiding your social media accounts for privacy reasons, you may want to consider looking at your digital footprint as a whole and limiting the things available about you online.
In general, you can protect your digital footprint by doing the following:
- Check privacy settings on your social media to see who can see your posts and activity
- Use a VPN to hide your IP address if you are worried about revealing your IP address to certain websites
- Delete old social media accounts and other online accounts you are no longer using
- Create an alternate email address or Google Voice number for social media accounts and online use
- Check social media and online account settings to see which websites can access and track your data
Typically, if you are using the internet, it can be hard to completely remove your digital footprint. However, with some dedication and consideration for your privacy, you can minimize the amount of online information about you as much as possible, protecting your data.
Discovering How to Find Hidden Social Media Accounts
When it comes to looking for hidden social media accounts, you might feel overwhelmed about where to start. After all, when social media accounts are completely hidden, it can be difficult to figure out what to search for and which social media websites might hold the answers you need.
Fortunately, our article gives you the best search methods to use when you are looking for someone’s hidden social media accounts or trying to find details about someone’s online activities.
Make sure to always protect your own privacy when searching online as well, and take steps to minimize your digital footprint if you are concerned about your online activity being shared with others.
