diff --git a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
index 840ce0bc3a76d9fda5f49fe2a2e1251bb8390a83..4a0c511fc0bb5b34b620401c99b108b77f1bab40 100644
--- a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class PeopleController < ApplicationController
         if diaspora_id?(search_query)
           @people =  Person.where(:diaspora_handle => search_query.downcase)
           Webfinger.in_background(search_query) if @people.empty?
-          @background_query = search_query
+          @background_query = search_query.downcase
         end
         @people = @people.paginate(:page => params[:page], :per_page => 15)
         @hashes = hashes_for_people(@people, @aspects)
diff --git a/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb
index a03b8e86a90c1c4d0cb8f0a41fcf233d1b36b8fc..d195a14423e0c5ca0267c93c037b833cd8ec8566 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ describe PeopleController do
           get :index, :q => "Eugene@Example.ORG"
           assigns[:people][0].id.should == @unsearchable_eugene.id
         end
+
+        it 'sets the background query task' do
+          get :index, :q => "Eugene@Example.ORG"
+          assigns[:background_query].should == "eugene@example.org"
+        end
       end
 
       context 'query is a tag' do
@@ -77,6 +82,11 @@ describe PeopleController do
           assigns[:hashes].should_not be_nil
         end
 
+        it 'does not set the background query task' do
+          get :index, :q => "Korth"
+          assigns[:background_query].should_not be_present
+        end
+
         it "assigns people" do
           eugene2 = Factory(:person,
                             :profile => Factory.build(:profile, :first_name => "Eugene",