Methodology
How Public Figure Record finds, checks and presents evidence.
The question this site answers
Who is this person? A verified identity record for public figures: who they are, the names they use, the roles they hold and where to find the deeper record on each question.
Sources, in order of preference
- Official biographies published by the institution the person serves
- Company and charity registries
- Government gazettes and appointment notices
- First-party profiles, corroborated independently
- Credible reporting, clearly attributed
Primary records are preferred. Company statements, personal responses and third-party allegations are always labelled as what they are.
Sections and their evidence standards
- Identity. Full name, aliases, nationality where public and relevant, photograph licence, short neutral description. Standard: Official biography, registry or first-party profile plus corroboration.
- Roles. Current and former positions with start and end dates. Standard: Appointments, filings, annual reports or official announcements.
- Disambiguation. Other people with the same or similar names, and how this record differs from them. Standard: Dates of birth where public, registry identifiers, distinct roles.
- Specialised records. Links to legal status, sanctions, statements, directorships, court cases and impact records for the same person. Standard: Shared person identifier across the network.
- Review. Sources, last-reviewed date, change history and correction route. Standard: Public audit trail.
Identity before claims
Names, aliases, positions and company relationships are resolved against the person’s master record on PublicFigureRecord.org before any claim is assessed. A name match alone is never enough to attach a record to a person.
Dates on every record
Each record shows the date of its most recent source and the date an editor last reviewed it. Sensitive records are re-reviewed on a fixed schedule and whenever a new primary record appears.
Who is covered
Coverage spans a broad range of public figures across sectors and jurisdictions, chosen by published editorial criteria. People are not added or removed because of any commercial relationship or dispute.