How to Use the Social Media Profile Search Engine
Step-by-step guide for using DigitalStakeout’s Social Media Profile Search Engine (Canvass) to discover and monitor brand, executive, or threat actor digital presence across platforms.
How to Use the Social Media Profile Search Engine
This guide walks you through using DigitalStakeout’s Social Media Profile Search Engine (formerly Canvass) to search and monitor digital identities across 750+ platforms — including social networks, forums, and personal profile sites.
Supported Search Types
You can search by:
- Screen Name / Handle
- Person Name
- Brand or Product Name
The engine uses these selectors to discover and index matching account profiles from open platforms.
How to Search
- Open the Tool – Navigate to Social Media Profile Search Engine in the platform.
- Enter Selector – Input a name, screen name, or handle. The engine auto-detects the query type.
- View Results – Matching accounts will appear in the results panel.
- Use Context Menu – Click the left-side action icon on any result to perform additional actions.
Context Menu Actions
You can take action on any discovered profile directly from the results list:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Canvass Screen Name | Explore this screen name across other services. |
| Run People Search | Launch a correlated People Search. |
| Monitor Data from Account | Use Profile Tracker to follow content from the account. |
| Track Account Presence | Use Presence Feed to detect online status. |
| Monitor Mentions of Account | Use Keyword Feed for related keyword tracking. |
| View Account Screenshot | Preview the profile as captured by DigitalStakeout. |
| Visit Profile | Open the profile directly in a browser tab. |
Search History & Pattern Discovery
All past searches are saved in your account’s history. This lets you:
- Track how an identity evolves online
- Detect reactivation of dormant accounts
- Identify naming pattern reuse (useful for sockpuppet detection)
Usage Considerations
- ⚖️ FCRA Compliance – Results cannot be used for employment, housing, or credit screening.
- ✅ No Data Guarantee – Data is passively collected and not verified; validation is the user's responsibility.
- 📌 Best Practice – Combine screen name searches with related selectors (e.g. email, phone) for greater intelligence coverage.
Quick Tips
- Use exact screen names for high-confidence matching.
- Look for naming pattern clusters across platforms.
- Schedule follow-up monitoring on confirmed profiles using Profile Tracker.
Looking for features, benefits, or use cases? Visit the Social Media Profile Search Engine product page on our main site.
Updated 2 days ago