How to Identify Twitter Profile Owners
by Aaron Charles
Twitter encourages people to search out other Twitter users and to keep tabs on what they're doing, including discovering who they are. To be clear, this kind of online discovery isn't what's come to be known as cyberstalking. A cyberstalker uses online tools like Twitter to track someone for a pernicious purpose. So as long as you don't go down that road, you're within the proper bounds of Twitter and online exploration. Since not all Twitter users are forthcoming about their actual identities, and since some businesses make fake profiles for marketing purposes, you might not always be successful. However, there are a couple of methods you can try.
Twitter Profile Information
Sign in to Twitter. Then enter the handle (begins with the "@" symbol) of the Twitter profile you're interested in into the Twitter search bar.
Click the username next to the Twitter handle of the profile in the search results. This will open the profile biography.
Note the profile information for any clues as to who owns the profile -- including the username -- which could be the profile owner's actual name.
Enter any names listed in the profile into a search engine, and click on related Web links. Look for parallels between these websites and the Twitter profile, such as names and background information.
Website and Who Is Database
Follow the first two steps from Section 1 to access the Twitter profile's biography page. Click any website links listed there.
Look for the website's "About Us," About Me" or "Contact" page. Note any additional information about the person or persons linked to the Twitter profile.
Enter the Web address of the website into a Who Is search (links in Resources) for additional information. Note the contact information of the person listed as the owner of the domain. This could also be the owner of the Twitter profile.
Twitter: Search To Discover Even More
Twitter: Keep Tabs On What Others Are Doing
Google: Cyberstalking Definition
Forbes: Fake Twitter Followers