Figuring out who owns or administers a Facebook page can be useful for a variety of reasons. You may want to contact the owner of a business page with questions, report a suspicious page that violates Facebook’s terms, or collaborate with the admin of an organization’s page. While Facebook doesn’t make page ownership public by default, there are a few methods you can use to potentially uncover who’s behind a Facebook page.
Check the Page’s Contact Info
Many Facebook pages, especially those representing businesses, brands, or public figures, provide some type of contact information right on their page. This may include an email address, phone number, mailing address, or other info that can help identify the owner.
To find this, go to the page and look for a “Contact Info” or “About” section. This is often found on the right side of the page on desktop or in the “About” tab on mobile. Any contact details provided in these sections were likely supplied by the page owner and could give clues as to who is running the page.
Look for an “Impressum”
Facebook pages for businesses or organizations located in Germany and other European countries may include an “Impressum” tab. The Impressum provides legal and contact information required by law, including the name, address, and email of whoever owns or operates the page.
Checking for an Impressum is a good way to directly find the name of the registered page owner. Keep in mind, however, that the Impressum only applies to pages representing German and European entities.
Search Whois Domain Records
If the Facebook page includes a link to an external website, you may be able to uncover the owner through a Whois search of that website’s domain records. Whois lookups provide registration details for domain names, including the name and address of the registrant.
To try this, click any links on the Facebook page to visit an associated website. Copy the domain name (for example, www.example.com) and paste it into a Whois search engine. The results will display the website owner’s name and contact information if available.
Reverse Image Search the Profile Picture
Searching the page’s profile picture through Google Images or another reverse image search engine can occasionally provide clues about the account owner based on where else that photo appears online. This method works best for identifying public figures or celebrities who may use the same headshot across multiple sites and social media profiles.
To reverse search the profile image, right click on the page’s profile picture and select “Copy image address.” Paste this URL into the search bar at Google Images or a similar site like TinEye. Look through the results to see if the photo appears attached to a specific name or social media account elsewhere.
Look for Tags and Mentions
If the Facebook page frequently interacts with other accounts by tagging or mentioning them, check if the page ever tags or mentions the owner’s personal profile. For example, a local business might tag the proprietor or a band page might mention the lead singer.
Scan the page’s posts and photos for tags and mentions of other Facebook accounts. See if one name consistently comes up as being associated with the page. Search for that name on Facebook to potentially find the personal profile of the page administrator.
Check Content ID and Copyright Claims
Pages posting copyrighted content like videos or songs may include Content ID or copyright ownership claims. These claims are submitted by whoever owns the original content, which could be the page administrator themselves.
Examine videos or other media on the page. In the text below the content, look for “From [Page/Account Name]” or copyright notices like “Music provided by [Account].” Search those account names to see if they appear to belong to an individual who could be the page admin.
Look for Thank Yous and Signed Posts
Some page owners will occasionally sign updates or thank page supporters by name. See if any posts contain phrases like “Thank you for all the support – [Name]” or are signed at the bottom with the owner’s name or initials.
It’s less common, but a direct thank you or signed post can immediately identify the person running the page. This method works better on smaller pages representing individuals versus large brands.
Check Page Creation Date
While not always definitive, you can get some broad clues by looking at when the page was created. Search for any early posts or information from the page’s founding. See if the content from that time period provides any context on who started the page.
For example, an individual’s personal page likely first appeared around when they joined Facebook. A business page may have initial posts promoting its grand opening or groundbreaking. Non-profit and event pages often have inception dates tied to their founding or kickoff.
Look for Administrator Roles
If you have administrator access to a Facebook Page as an editor, moderator or advertiser, the Page Admin Roles tool allows you to view all current administrators and moderators. Page Admin Roles can be accessed via the Settings menu:
Pages > Your Pages > [Select Page] > Settings > Page Roles
This will display a list of all Page roles including administrator names, their email addresses or Facebook IDs and when they were assigned the admin role. Note that Page Roles are only visible to current page admins.
Check Facebook Ads Library
The Facebook Ad Library offers transparency data on ads running on Facebook Pages. If the Page is currently running ads, you can view the associated Facebook ad account ID.
Search for the Page name in the Ad Library. Click on the Page and view the “Advertiser Info” tab. This will display the Facebook ad account ID which may provide clues on who owns the account paying for the ads.
Use Facebook Keyword Search Operators
Facebook’s graph search lets you use advanced keyword commands to filter posts and pages in very specific ways. Using graph search operators like “posted by” or “tagged in” can surface connections between pages and accounts that identify a potential owner.
Try searches like:
- “[Page Name]” posted by [Possible Owner Name]
- “[Page Name]” tagged in [Possible Owner Name’s Profile]”
See if any posts come up confirming interactions between the page and an account. Other operators like friends of, liked by, and commented by can also help dig up connections.
Check Linked Accounts and Usernames
Many pages display a list of other social media accounts associated with the brand, business, or organization represented on Facebook. The owner may have accounts on these other platforms as well.
Look for a “Social Links” section in the page’s About info. Click through any listed accounts on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. See if the same name, profile image, or contact info appears across platforms, indicating they are likely run by the same person.
Join Related Facebook Groups
For pages related to specific interests, hobbies or local communities, try joining Facebook Groups centered around the same topic. Engage with group members and politely ask if anyone knows who runs the page you’re curious about.
Group members who are highly engaged are more likely to know details about influential related pages and their administrators. Just be careful not to come across as spammy when asking about page ownership in groups.
Check Public Records and Domain Registrations
Do public record searches to uncover more details about any individuals or businesses potentially associated with the page based on information you’ve gathered so far.
Search state business record databases, professional licensing directories, domain name registrations, and other public data sources. Look for company names, phone numbers, addresses, or usernames that match up across records and tie back to a specific person.
Use Facebook Search Tools
Facebook has advanced search operators that allow drilling down by specific parameters which can help uncover page owners in some cases. For example, you can search:
- Locations near a business page’s address
- Schools near a page to find alumni
- Workplace names near a page to find employers
Combine location and school/work searches with page names, titles, or other keywords to find associated profiles. Useful search operators include: near, from, works at, went to school at.
Consult Facebook’s Terms of Service
Facebook’s Terms of Service require page owners to:
- Provide accurate information about account ownership
- Respond to inquiries regarding account ownership
- Maintain up-to-date contact information
Report suspicious or misleading pages through Facebook’s reporting form. Select “Fake Account” and “Pretending to be someone else”. Explain you wish to confirm page ownership information.
Facebook will follow up on reported pages and may request verification from the administrator on who controls the account. However, keep in mind Facebook does not guarantee they will disclose this info directly to users.
Consult Facebook Support
As a last resort, you can try contacting Facebook Support directly to inquire about a page’s ownership. Explain why you need to know who controls the specific page and ask if they can help confirm the administrator’s identity.
However, information about page ownership is generally considered private. Facebook may not be able to disclose who specifically runs a page unless required by law or court order.
But confirming you have a legitimate need to know, like an ongoing legal dispute, may prompt them to follow up or share more than they otherwise could.
Hire a Professional Investigator
For professional or legal needs, consider hiring a private investigator who specializes in online research. They have access to in-depth data sources and tracing tools that allow tracking down registry details, IP addresses, and other identifiers.
A qualified investigator can legally discover page ownership information directly from internet service providers, domain registrars, web and social media companies. This provides definitive proof of who controls a Facebook page.
Just keep in mind this option carries costs and you need sufficient justification for requiring the page owner’s identity.
Conclusion
Finding out who owns or runs a Facebook page takes some digital sleuthing, but a combination of the techniques above can eventually lead to an answer in many cases. Focus on uncovering any available contact info, public records, cross-platform accounts, administrator connections, and ownership trails.
If the page owner wishes to remain anonymous, or Facebook’s policies limit disclosure, you may need to rely on partial clues unless you have legal grounds to compel fuller identity disclosure. With persistence and the right tools, you can eventually connect the dots on who your Facebook page of interest belongs to.
| Method | How It Works | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|
| Check Page Contact Info | Look for any emails, addresses, or phone numbers provided voluntarily by the page owner. | Moderate – Not all pages provide usable contact details |
| Search Impressum | Find legally required contact info for European business pages. | Limited – Only applies to EU businesses |
| Domain Whois Lookup | Reverse search site domain registrations to find registered owner. | Moderate – Requires an associated domain |
| Reverse Image Search | See if profile photo matches accounts elsewhere for clues. | Limited – Needs a unique identifying image |
| Check Tags and Mentions | Look for potential owner names tagged or thanked in posts. | Moderate – Owners sometimes interact from personal accounts |
| Review Page Creation Date | Check early history for clues on initial purpose and launch. | Limited – Imprecise for generic pages |
| Search Admin Roles | Page admins can see assigned admin names via Page Roles. | High (for admins) – Lists all granted administrator access |
| Check Facebook Ad Library | View associated ad account info for pages running ads. | Limited – Only works on active ad accounts |
| Advanced Facebook Searches | Use Graph Search operators like “posted by” to connect pages and profiles. | Moderate – Needs specific name guesses to search for |
| Cross-reference Linked Accounts | Check if named social media accounts have common owners. | Moderate – Requires active cross-platform linking |
| Ask Related Facebook Groups | Engage members for insights on who may run closely related pages. | Limited – Imprecise crowd-sourced information |
| Search Public Records | Lookup businesses, licenses, domains, etc. for common names. | Moderate – Can combine limited data points |
| Consult Facebook’s Terms | Report fake/anonymous pages and request owner info. | Limited – Facebook not obligated to share identities |
| Contact Facebook Support | Explain need and ask if they can help disclose owners. | Limited – Typically won’t share private info |
| Hire a Professional Investigator | Experts use legal means to conclusively determine ownership. | High (when justified) – Definitive legal methods |