PeopleConnect

What PeopleConnect does

PeopleConnect, operating under the legal entity The Control Group Media Company LLC and headquartered in San Diego, is a US-focused digital identity platform that aggregates and monetizes public records for consumer use. The portfolio comprises six wholly-owned brands: TruthFinder (background checking), Intelius (reverse phone and people search, founded 2003), Instant Checkmate (criminal records), US Search (reverse address and phone lookups, founded 1994), Classmates (alumni social networking, founded 1995), and OmniWatch (identity theft protection). The product surface spans three consumer subscription verticals—people search, alumni social reconnection, and identity protection—serving US-resident individuals seeking to find lost contacts, verify acquaintances, monitor their own reputation, or guard against identity theft. Service availability is restricted to US residents per the company's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

The underlying technology is public records aggregation and consumer-facing people search infrastructure built and accumulated across the legacy brands over three decades. Notable proprietary features include OmniWatch's Dark Web Breach Alerts, real-time Credit Monitoring, and an Identity Theft Risk Score designed for accessible consumer interpretation. Across the people search products, the company offers a Suppression Tool that enables consumers to opt out of having their own background report displayed. No mobile applications, public APIs, SDKs, or documented AI/ML systems are disclosed; the technical stack is described at the level of features and outcomes rather than models or pipelines.

The business model is exclusively direct-to-consumer subscriptions sold through self-service web checkout on owned brand sites (TruthFinder.com, Intelius.com, InstantCheckmate.com, USSearch.com, Classmates.com, OmniWatch.com). There is no enterprise sales motion, no channel resale, and no public pricing disclosure—rates are revealed only at account creation. Customer acquisition combines owned content (company blog), organic social, affiliate marketing (including participation in Affiliate Summit East), and brand sponsorships on media properties such as the Law&Crime YouTube network. The company is privately held, has no disclosed funding rounds, and reports no parent company or institutional investor.

Name

PeopleConnect

Legal name

The Control Group Media Company LLC

Website

https://peopleconnect.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PeopleConnect is a US-based direct-to-consumer digital identity company operating a portfolio of subscription-based people search, background check, alumni social, and identity protection brands including TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, US Search, Classmates, and OmniWatch.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

People Search and Background Check Services

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subscription Box & Membership-first DTC (CRAFACAN)

Keywords

• People search services
• Background check services
• Identity theft protection
• Public records search
• People finder platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. People Search Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to people search services including TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, and US Search. Users pay recurring fees for background checks, reverse phone lookups, and people finding services.
2. Classmates Social Network: Social networking subscription service for reconnecting with school friends, featuring yearbook searches and classmate reunions. Founded in 1995, one of the oldest social networking sites.
3. OmniWatch Identity Protection: Identity theft protection and online threat monitoring subscription services including dark web alerts, credit monitoring, and identity risk scoring.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PeopleConnect operates subscription-based consumer services that aggregate public records and identity-related data to help individuals find people, run background checks, reconnect with classmates, and monitor their identity. The company runs a portfolio of consumer brands — TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, US Search, Classmates, and OmniWatch — delivered through self-service websites on a recurring subscription model.

Product overview

PeopleConnect is a digital identity company that serves as one of the largest and most trusted sources in the people search industry. The company operates as a unified platform built through the combined resources of The Control Group and PeopleConnect, offering a portfolio of six distinct brands: TruthFinder (background checking), Intelius (reverse phone and people search), Instant Checkmate (criminal records search), US Search (reverse address/phone lookups), OmniWatch (identity theft protection with dark web monitoring and credit monitoring), and Classmates (social networking for school alumni). These products leverage public records data to empower consumers to make informed decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TruthFinder: One of America's most popular background checking services helping Americans reconnect with family and friends, featured in Forbes, The Daily Mail, CNET, and The Huffington Post
• Intelius
• Instant Checkmate
• US Search
• Classmates
• OmniWatch

Products and services

• TruthFinder

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by millions of satisfied customers

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Konnected LivesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2024Partnership announced September 12, 2024 focused on dating app safety. PeopleConnect and Konnected Lives collaboration aimed at providing safety tools within the online dating ecosystem.
• Law&CrimeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaw&Crime, a true crime media network, features TruthFinder and OmniWatch as sponsors. PeopleConnect products appear in sponsored content on the Law&Crime YouTube channel, reaching the network's 7.5 million subscribers.
• Morgan & MorganminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPersonal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan is one of Law&Crime's major sponsors with over 2,000 sponsored videos. The partnership provides advertising exposure for PeopleConnect brands in the legal/justice content context.
• Cozy EarthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-adjacent brand advertiser on Law&Crime network, demonstrating the company's ability to attract diverse advertisers beyond the legal/justice vertical.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LifeLock (Norton): Identity theft protection service now owned by Gen Digital (Norton). Directly comparable to OmniWatch in feature set (dark web monitoring, credit alerts) but part of a much larger security software portfolio.
• Experian (Consumer Services): Major credit bureau with a direct-to-consumer identity and credit monitoring subscription business. Comparable in credit-monitoring functionality and represents the largest scaled incumbent in identity protection.

Direct peers

• Spokeo: Subscription-based people search and background check platform serving consumers directly. Closely comparable in product offering, target customer (individual consumers), and DTC subscription business model.
• IdentityGuard: Consumer identity theft protection service with credit monitoring, dark web surveillance, and identity risk scoring — closely aligned with OmniWatch's feature roadmap and target buyer.
• BeenVerified: DTC subscription service for background checks, people search, reverse phone lookup, and public records — a near-direct competitor across most of PeopleConnect's portfolio.
• CheckPeople: Subscription people search and background check service targeting consumers, with overlapping feature set on reverse phone/address lookup, public records, and identity-related reports.
• Whitepages: Long-standing consumer people search and background check brand, directly comparable to TruthFinder, Intelius, and US Search across feature set, pricing model, and target audience.
• MyLife: Consumer-facing reputation and background report platform with subscription pricing — directly comparable in people search/reputation monitoring use cases.

Emerging players

• Pipl: Identity data and people search API provider with both consumer and enterprise offerings. Comparable in underlying public-records aggregation technology, though more API/enterprise-weighted.
• Instant Checkmate (legacy context) / PublicRecordsNOW: Smaller DTC background-check subscription brands operating in the same category, illustrating the long tail of competitors PeopleConnect faces in paid acquisition channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PeopleConnectUs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PeopleConnect