Guide to Internet Search

“Beyond Google.pdf” – peruse and then explore this excellent list of international search tools and useful websites compiled by NPR’s data maven Margot Williams, an expert at tracking people, assets, prisoners, planes and just about everything else worldwide. @MargotWilliams

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/103460448/BeyondGoogle.doc

For those of you having difficulty downloading the .doc file, we have posted the links below:

Beyond Google 2013

Margot Williams – NPR

IRE June 2013

NSA: Untangling the Web http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/Untangling_the_Web.pdf

Find a person:

• AnyWho: http://www.anywho.com
• InfoBel: http://www.infobel.com/en/world
• Numberway http://www.numberway.com/
• Free lookups at MelissaData http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/index.htm

Find a person: Work

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com
• CLEAR http://www.clearhq.org/Directory
• BRB verify professional licenses http://verifyprolicense.com/
• Salary database from PIBuzz http://pibuzz.com/government-salaries/
• Leadership directories $$ http://www.leadershipdirectories.com/

Search Public Records

• National Sex Offender Public Registry: http://www.nsopw.gov
• State Sex Offender Registry Web Sites: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/states.htm
• Directory of incarcerated offender databases at VineLink http://www.vinelink.com

• US federal inmate lookup  http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp
• Finra BrokerCheck http://www.finra.org/Investors/ToolsCalculators/BrokerCheck/
• BRB Pubs Free Public Records http://www.brbpub.com/free-public-records/
• Search Systems http://publicrecords.searchsystems.net/
• Free Public Records Directory http://publicrecords.onlinesearches.com/
• CourtReference http://www.courtreference.com/
• NETR Online (real estate record directory) http://www.netronline.com/

Corporation Research

• ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database http://offshoreleaks.icij.org/search
• Investigative Dashboard (OCCRP) http://www.investigativedashboard.org/
• OpenCorporates.com http://opencorporates.com
• GlobalEdge Directory http://globaledge.msu.edu/Global-Resources
• Corporationwiki http://www.corporationwiki.com/
• Building database: Emporis http://www.emporis.com/buildings
• Commercial real estate: LoopNet http://www.loopnet.com

Non-Profits/Charities

• Guidestar US Form 990s http://www.guidestar.org
• Luke Rosiak’s 990 databasehttp://lukerosiak.info/irs/
• ProPublica Non-profit Explorer http://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/
• OpenCharities.org UK http://opencharities.org/
• Charity Navigator http://www.charitynavigator.org/
• National Center for Charitable Statistics http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/
• Foundation Finder http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/foundfinder/
• Global Think Tank Directory http://www.gotothinktank.com/

Watchlists, Wanted & Missing Persons Lists

• Corporate Intelligence Project http://www.corpsearch.net/watchlists.html
• Interpol Wanted Persons List http://www.interpol.int/Wanted-Persons

• Search OFAC http://sdnsearch.ofac.treas.gov/
• SAM.gov: Debarred from business with US http://www.sam.gov
• Denied Persons List http://export.gov/ecr/eg_main_023148.asp
• ICRC: missing in Somalia http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/eng/missing-somalia

Data and Statistics

• Data.gov http://catalog.data.gov/dataset
• Official Statistics on the Web http://www.offstats.auckland.ac.nz
• Population Reference Bureau DataFinder http://prb.org/datafinder.aspx
• Guardian DataStore World Government Data http://www.guardian.co.uk/world-government-data
• US Census Bureau International Database http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/informationGateway.php /

International planes & ships finders

• Pirates! NATO Daily Piracy Update http://www.shipping.nato.int/operations/OS/Pages/DailyPiracyUpdate.aspx
• Equasis http://www.equasis.org
• MarineTraffic.com http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
• Ship to shore phone directory: http://www.inmarsat.com/shipsdirectory/index.htm
• FlightAware: http://www.flightaware.com
• Flightwise http://flightwise.com/
• Pinkfroot http://my.pinkfroot.com/ Planefinder, Shipfinder, iPhone apps
• FAA Aircraft registry http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/interactive_aircraft_inquiry/
• Landings: http://www.landings.com
• Airport Codes: http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/aptcodesearch.asp
• US work visa data http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm
• TRACE Compendium https://secure.traceinternational.org/Knowledge/Compendium.html

Interesting Databases

• US work visa data http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm
• TRACE Compendium https://secure.traceinternational.org/Knowledge/Compendium.html
• SpyPedia $$
• Guantanamo Docket (New York Times/NPR) http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo

FOIAs, leaks and deletes

• Government Attic http://www.governmentattic.org/
• JunketSleuth “exposing government travel excesses” http://junketsleuth.com/
• Public Intelligence http://publicintelligence.net/
• Archive-it http://archive-it.org/explore?show=Collections
• netpreserve.org http://netpreserve.org/about/archiveList.php
• CyberCemetery defunct agencies http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/
• Internet Archive Wayback Machine http://www.archive.org

Lobbying for US and non-US interests

Senate Office of Public Records Lobbying Disclosure Act http://www.senate.gov/legislative/Public_Disclosure/LDA_reports.htm

• US State Dept. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) since 1940s

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fara/

US Lawmakers & Officials Disclosure

Ethics.data.gov  http://ethics.data.gov

Legistorm http://www.legistorm.com

Office of Government Ethics http://www.oge.gov/Open-Government/Access-Records/Current-Executive-Branch-Nominations-and-Appointments/

Center for Responsive Politics http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/

Campaign Finance FEC http://www.fec.gov/disclosure.shtml

National Archives

• Archives I and Archives II and Presidential Libraries www.archives.gov
• Online Public Access http://www.archives.gov/research/search/index.html
• Archival Databases http://aad.archives.gov/aad/ 

Digital library access

• JSTOR Register & Read: Early Journal Content http://www.jstor.org/betasearch
• Digital Public Library of America http://dp.la/
• Hathi Trust Digital Library http://www.hathitrust.org
• Internet Archive http://archive.org/index.php
• Library card: NYPL, DC Public Library, etc

Web Research Updates

• Toddington International http://www.toddington.com/resources/
• Gary Price  InfoDocket http://infodocket.com/
• FullTextReports http://fulltextreports.com/
• PI Buzz (Tamara Thompson) http://pibuzz.com/

(this list was compiled by Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas)