Affiliate & Commercial Disclosure
Last Updated: January 2025 • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Compliance
In accordance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, this page explains the commercial and affiliate relationships that exist between USA People Search (usapeoplesearch.org) and third-party companies.
1. Commercial Referral Relationship
USA People Search operates as an informational directory, geographic resource, and affiliate lead generation platform. USA People Search does not own, administer, or operate an internal background check database. When you submit a search query on our website (such as a name, telephone number, email, or street address), our platform connects you with verified third-party search partners, principally Spokeo.
2. Affiliate Compensation
When you click on search action buttons or affiliate links on our site and navigate to our partner's website, USA People Search may receive monetary compensation or referral fees if you choose to purchase an individual report or subscription service with our partner.
This referral compensation comes at no additional cost to you. The pricing, subscription terms, and payment terms are determined entirely by the third-party search service provider.
3. Editorial Integrity & Accuracy
We strive to provide factual, honest, and educational information about how public record searches work in the United States. We do not display fabricated search results, artificial database counts, or deceptive progress indicators to manipulate users.
Neither USA People Search nor its affiliated third-party search partners are Consumer Reporting Agencies as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.). You may not use any records or information retrieved through referral partners to establish eligibility for personal credit, employment, tenant screening, insurance, or other FCRA-regulated purposes.
Affiliate Disclosure Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions regarding our FTC disclosure, partner referral commissions, and pricing.
What is an affiliate disclosure and why is it required?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires digital publications to clearly disclose material commercial connections between the website publisher and third-party merchants or service providers whose products are featured.
How does USA People Search earn revenue?
USA People Search earns referral compensation when a visitor clicks on an affiliate link or search CTA button and subsequently signs up for a paid report or monthly membership with our partner, Spokeo.
Does clicking an affiliate link cost me extra money?
No. The pricing and terms of service for third-party search reports are set entirely by Spokeo. You pay the exact same price whether you navigate directly to their platform or through our referral link.
What search partner does USA People Search refer visitors to?
Our primary verified search partner is Spokeo, an established American public records search engine aggregating billions of public documents, telephone registries, and property deed records.
Does USA People Search own or operate Spokeo?
No. USA People Search is an independent educational directory and lead referral site with no corporate ownership, direct governance, or management authority over Spokeo or its parent entities.
How does affiliate tracking work when I search?
When you click 'Search Records' or submit a query, a secure affiliate referral tracking parameter (such as a tracking ID) is appended to the outbound destination URL so our partner credits the referral to our account.
Does affiliate compensation influence directory listings or rankings?
No. Our geographic, alphabetical surname, and area code directories are compiled objectively using official U.S. Census Bureau data and the North American Numbering Plan without commercial bias.
Can I browse USA People Search without purchasing anything?
Yes. All geographic directories, area code pages, surname indexes, and educational articles on USA People Search are 100% free to access without any purchase requirement.
Who do I contact if I have billing questions regarding a purchase?
Because all financial transactions occur on our partner's secure checkout page, any billing questions, refund requests, or subscription modifications must be handled directly via Spokeo Customer Care.
Does USA People Search sell my search queries to affiliate partners?
No. USA People Search does not harvest, store, or sell user search terms. Search parameters are transferred directly in real-time via SSL encryption to initiate your partner search query.
Transparency & Affiliate Disclosure
USA People Search does not own, manage, or operate an internal background check database. All searches initiated on this site are securely redirected to our third-party partner, Spokeo, which provides the underlying public records search services. We may receive referral fees when you choose to use partner services, which supports our ongoing directory research.