Frequently Asked Questions

SpiderFoot.tools is an independent third-party, browser-based OSINT web service. It helps researchers organize public-information checks for usernames, email addresses, and IP addresses without requiring a local installation.

It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the SpiderFoot open-source project or its maintainers. Our service, policies, research guidance, and website content are maintained independently. Learn more about who operates this website and how we evaluate tools on the About page.

A full username scan usually takes about 120 seconds (2 minutes), while a full email scan takes about 60 seconds (1 minute). These are estimates; scans may take longer during busy periods as more people scan at the same time.

The username workflow covers more than 2,500 sites across 15+ categories, so checking this volume takes time. Read our methodology to learn how scans run and how coverage is handled. We are continuing to optimize scan performance and increase server capacity to shorten wait times.

Coverage depends on the selected input type, enabled features, source availability, and applicable provider policies. A scan may surface signals from public websites, indexed web pages, public profile services, and network-context providers.

Not every source is queried for every scan, and a result should not be interpreted as a complete inventory of someone’s online presence. Third-party services control their own data, availability, rate limits, and ranking logic. See our methodology for how we explain source limitations and verification.

Username OSINT looks for publicly accessible references and possible account matches associated with a username. It can help an authorized researcher identify leads, compare public profile context, or conduct a self-audit of an organization’s public footprint.

A matching handle is not identity verification. Usernames are reused, impersonated, abandoned, and copied across platforms. Confirm the original profile, review dates and supporting context, and look for independent corroboration before making an attribution.

Email OSINT can surface publicly indexed references, associated domains, and other available context for an address. It is useful for approved security assessments, an organization’s exposure review, or investigating an identifier you are authorized to examine.

Do not submit credentials, private mailbox contents, financial details, health information, or other highly sensitive data. A discovered reference is not confirmation that an address is active, controlled by a particular person, or connected to any behavior. Use the service only as permitted by our Terms of Service.

IP address research provides network context, such as the apparent network operator, routing or location indicators, and other information returned by available providers. It can support incident triage, asset inventory, and authorized infrastructure analysis.

IP-derived location is usually an approximation, not a precise physical address. Addresses can be dynamic, shared, proxied, routed through cloud infrastructure, or associated with a VPN. Do not treat network context alone as proof that a specific person used, owns, or controlled an IP address.

Public data changes constantly. A source can be unavailable, outdated, incomplete, duplicated, or wrong; search engines and third-party providers may also rank or label the same information differently. Those conditions can produce false positives and false negatives.

Use the smallest conclusion supported by the evidence. If you find a material error in a website result or article, send the page URL, a concise explanation, and safe-to-share supporting evidence through Contact or follow the correction process.

We may process search inputs, timestamps, and limited technical data to operate the requested workflow, protect the service, and provide available research-history features. External providers involved in a search may process requests under their own policies.

Only submit data you are authorized to investigate. For categories of data collected, use, sharing, retention, and available choices, read the Privacy Policy. Our Terms of Service explain the acceptable-use requirements.

SpiderFoot.tools is an independent third-party OSINT web service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the SpiderFoot open-source project or its maintainers. SpiderFoot and related project names belong to their respective owners.

This website provides its own browser workflows, public guidance, editorial standards, privacy notices, and support channels. For a clear explanation of the distinction, see About SpiderFoot.tools.

An appropriate example is an organization reviewing its own public exposure. A security team can define an authorized company username or email address, run the relevant workflow, review returned public references, and verify notable findings against the original pages. Confirmed issues can then be documented, assigned to an owner, and remediated.

The team should use only the modules and scope needed for that question, avoid unnecessary personal data, preserve enough source context for review, and stop when the approved task is complete. This is general information, not legal advice; local law, organizational policy, and permissions still apply.