The digital-footprint map,held to the record.
A bounded mapping of the public surfaces that can shape a subject's digital exposure — broker profiles, public social handles, and public OSINT sources. Each source is named, dated, and graded before it enters the audit-period record.
The map is an exposure inventory, not an invitation to collect more. It describes what was visible during the agreed audit period, excludes private or non-public material, and closes with a dated snapshot the subject can review without a second search.
Mapped source classes
Three public surfaces,one traceable map.
The digital-footprint pass starts with the subject identity and the agreed audit period. It then maps the public surfaces most likely to compound exposure, keeping each observation attached to its source, access date, and confidence rather than presenting a loose list of search results.
The public source classes that enter the map:
Broker profiles
01People-search, marketing, property, and identity-graph profiles are recorded as named listings. The map notes the controller or broker surface, the fields exposed, the jurisdiction, and the opt-out route — not an unverified summary copied from another directory.
Public social handles
02Publicly visible handles, profile names, linked accounts, and impersonation signals are mapped where they can be reached without authentication or circumvention. The record distinguishes an observed public account from an inferred alias cluster.
Public OSINT sources
03Search results, public registers, news and publication pages, archived snapshots, and other openly reachable sources are captured with provenance. A source becomes a load-bearing observation only after its origin, date, and corroboration status are recorded.
What the footprint mapdoes not enter.
A public-source methodology is defined as much by its closed doors as by its inventory. The exclusions below keep the audit within a lawful, reviewable boundary and prevent the snapshot from becoming a back door into a private life.
§ ii
No private or authenticated data.
Private messages, closed groups, authenticated dashboards, breached material, data behind a personal login, and information supplied in confidence are not accessed or retained as part of the map. Public visibility is the threshold; technical access is never treated as permission.
No non-public enrichment.
The audit does not purchase, infer, or assemble non-public attributes to fill gaps in a profile. Sensitive fields, precise location trails, and unverified identity conclusions remain outside the map unless the subject provides a lawful, explicit instruction and the scope is revised before work begins.
No licensed investigation or fieldwork.
Interviews, surveillance, pretexting, on-the-ground retrieval, and other licensed investigative services are not part of this desk methodology. A request that needs fieldwork is acknowledged as a separate scope; the digital-footprint map remains a public-source audit until the relevant clearance and engagement are in place.
The boundary is part of the deliverable. What cannot be supported by an openly reachable, dated source is left outside the snapshot rather than filled with inference.
Audit-period delivery
A dated snapshot,not a promise of permanence.
The close-out records the public footprint as it stood during the agreed audit period. The deliverable is designed to be reviewed, challenged, and re-run against a later period; it does not imply that a broker, search engine, or social platform will preserve the same surface after delivery.
The snapshot delivered at close:
Named capture window
01The dossier states the audit-period start and end dates, the subject identifier used for the pass, and the point at which the inventory was frozen. Every observation is read against that window, not quietly refreshed after close.
Source ledger and severity view
02The subject receives a source-ledger view of the mapped profiles, handles, and public sources, with access dates, provenance notes, exposed fields, and a severity ranking. Where a claim is single-source or unresolved, the record says so.
Sealed handoff
03The snapshot is delivered as an annotated report held under the single-custodian close-out: one record of what was visible, one list of priority surfaces, and one written note of what remains outside scope. Working copies are handled under the same retention and destruction posture as the wider engagement.
Where the map sits
One public record.
One dated handoff.
This methodology explains how a dated public-source map fits within the wider framework. Related pages describe the source classes, exclusions, and broker directory.
Digital-footprint mapping
Public, bounded, reviewable.
Broker profiles, public handles, and OSINT sources — recorded against the audit period and held to the same methodology framework.
Related: the wider methodology framework and the broker directory.
Choose your next step
Explore the service information, ask a general question, or get updates when launch news is available.