diff --git a/app/models/person.rb b/app/models/person.rb
index c44203e1e..8a9011fa4 100644
--- a/app/models/person.rb
+++ b/app/models/person.rb
@@ -27,21 +27,12 @@ class Person
 
   timestamps!
   
-  before_save :strip_and_downcase_diaspora_handle
   before_destroy :remove_all_traces
   before_validation :clean_url
   validates_presence_of :url, :profile, :serialized_public_key
   validates_format_of :url, :with =>
     /^(https?):\/\/[a-z0-9]+([\-\.]{1}[a-z0-9]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,5})?(:[0-9]{1,5})?(\/.*)?$/ix
 
-
-  def strip_and_downcase_diaspora_handle
-    if self.diaspora_handle
-      self.diaspora_handle.strip!
-      self.diaspora_handle.downcase! 
-    end
-  end
-
   def self.search(query)
     return Person.all if query.to_s.empty?
     query_tokens = query.to_s.strip.split(" ")
@@ -95,12 +86,14 @@ class Person
 
   def self.by_webfinger(identifier, opts = {})
     #need to check if this is a valid email structure, maybe should do in JS
-    local_person = Person.first(:diaspora_handle => identifier.gsub('acct:', '').to_s)
+    query = /#{Regexp.escape(identifier.gsub('acct:', '').to_s)}/i
+    local_person = Person.first(:diaspora_handle => query)
 
     if local_person
       Rails.logger.info("Do not need to webfinger, found a local person #{local_person.real_name}")
       local_person
     elsif  !identifier.include?("localhost") && !opts[:local]
+      #Get remote profile
       begin
         Rails.logger.info("Webfingering #{identifier}")
         f = Redfinger.finger(identifier)
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 9351e34ef..1593ee29c 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ class User
   end
 
   def diaspora_handle
-    "#{self.username}@#{APP_CONFIG[:terse_pod_url]}".downcase
+    "#{self.username}@#{APP_CONFIG[:terse_pod_url]}"
   end
 
   def as_json(opts={})
diff --git a/spec/models/person_spec.rb b/spec/models/person_spec.rb
index a77aee76b..fd5ea0162 100644
--- a/spec/models/person_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/person_spec.rb
@@ -14,11 +14,6 @@ describe Person do
   end
 
   describe '#diaspora_handle' do
-    it 'should downcase and strip the handle before it saves' do
-      p = Factory.build(:person, :diaspora_handle => "  FOOBaR@example.com  ")
-      p.save
-      p.diaspora_handle.should == "foobar@example.com"
-    end
     context 'local people' do
       it 'uses the pod config url to set the diaspora_handle' do
         @user.person.diaspora_handle.should == @user.username + "@" + APP_CONFIG[:terse_pod_url]
@@ -30,14 +25,20 @@ describe Person do
         @person.diaspora_handle.include?(APP_CONFIG[:terse_pod_url]).should be false
       end
     end
+    describe 'validation' do
+      it 'is unique' do
+        person_two = Factory.build(:person, :url => @person.diaspora_handle)
+        person_two.valid?.should be_false
+      end
+
+      it 'is case insensitive' do
+        person_two = Factory.build(:person, :url => @person.diaspora_handle.upcase)
+        person_two.valid?.should be_false
+      end
+    end
   end
 
-  it 'should not allow two people with the same diaspora_handle' do
-    person_two = Factory.build(:person, :url => @person.diaspora_handle)
-    person_two.valid?.should == false
-  end
-
-    describe 'xml' do
+  describe 'xml' do
     before do
       @xml = @person.to_xml.to_s
     end
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ describe Person do
     end
   end
 
-  it 'should know when a post belongs to it' do
+  it '#owns? posts' do
     person_message = Factory.create(:status_message, :person => @person)
     person_two =     Factory.create(:person)
 
@@ -188,6 +189,12 @@ describe Person do
         person = Person.by_webfinger(user.person.diaspora_handle)
         person.should == user.person
       end
+
+      it "is case insensitive" do
+        user = Factory(:user, :username => "SaMaNtHa")
+        person = Person.by_webfinger(user.person.diaspora_handle.upcase)
+        person.should == user.person
+      end
     end
 
     it 'creates a stub for a remote user' do
diff --git a/spec/models/user_spec.rb b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
index d190fc27b..61e37b3aa 100644
--- a/spec/models/user_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
@@ -83,11 +83,6 @@ describe User do
     it 'uses the pod config url to set the diaspora_handle' do
       user.diaspora_handle.should == user.username + "@" + APP_CONFIG[:terse_pod_url]
     end
-
-    it 'should be lowercase, even if username is uppercase' do
-      user.username = "fooBAR"
-      user.diaspora_handle.should == (user.username + "@" + APP_CONFIG[:terse_pod_url]).downcase
-    end
   end
 
   context 'profiles' do