PeopleFinders, the data broker behind the people-search website PeopleFinders.com, launched a new subscription service in the US on Tuesday called Stud or Dud that compiles background-check-style reports on potential romantic partners. The platform uses public records, court documents, bankruptcy filings, tax liens, phone directories, and social media posts to create a profile of a person based only on their name or phone number. The report is divided into four categories - finances, property or assets, employment history, and criminal background - and includes an AI-generated summary that flags what the company considers red or green flags, such as DUIs, evictions, or sex offender registry listings. PeopleFinders CEO Amber Higgins said the tool is meant to act as a “sidekick” to dating apps, providing context to confirm trust in a dating profile, and that women will likely be the strongest early adopters given the personal safety burden they carry.
Higgins said modern dating has changed and that people meeting through apps, social media, and direct messages have little context about who is on the other side. She told Wired that any tool involving personal information must be designed for responsible use, but acknowledged that no report can guarantee a person is safe, adding that users should still take normal precautions. The company said one of the biggest historical uses of PeopleFinders.com has been online dating safety, and it recommends users treat the new service as an additional layer of verification.
The launch comes as online dating safety remains a major concern for Americans. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey cited in the article found that only 48 percent of US adults think online dating is safe, and that six in 10 Americans believe companies should require background checks before users create dating profiles. The FBI reported that daters in San Francisco lost more than $40 million to romance scams in 2025.
Privacy advocates and researchers, however, raised concerns about the service. Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the site has problems starting with its potential use by stalkers, and after testing it, she found it was not good at flagging dangerous partners. Christopher Dietzel, an assistant professor at Concordia University who coauthored a 2026 study analyzing safety materials from 30 dating apps, said the service is intertwined with calls for surveillance, noting that dating apps already tell users to search for matches online.
The data broker industry that powers people-search websites is largely unregulated because the US lacks comprehensive digital privacy laws, and the article notes that search results can contain false or outdated information that could harm users in housing, employment, or public benefits. Stud or Dud does not notify people about what documents are shared about them or offer a way to check the accuracy of the data. When asked about the accuracy rate, Higgins said she did not have a percentage but that the company aims to provide the most accurate information available, acknowledging that public records can contain mistakes.
A reporter for Wired who tested the service on her own name received a summary that correctly identified her age and city, noted no criminal or financial issues, and mentioned she had no property records on file. The report framed the lack of property ownership as “not automatically a dealbreaker,” and generated no red flags. The article concludes that while such insights provide context, data cannot capture the full picture of a person.
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