There was a time when background checks were time-consuming and only done by investigators for very specific purposes. Technology has changed everything, though, and in our Internet-driven culture, background checks are not only more necessary than ever, but also easier and faster.
Several websites, such as PublicRecordsNow, Intelius, PeopleFinders, and PrivateEye provide background checks with just a simple search—though most require a subscription for more than the most basic information—and now there are apps for both iPhone and Android, so you can check your blind date’s background even as you wait for him or her at the bar.
Sounds like a terrific service, right? Well yes, except that it’s also controversial for several reasons. In fact, the iPhone app “Been Verified” was removed from iTunes for several months because of controversy over privacy and stalking. As convenient as it is to be able to check out that person who answered your Craigslist ad for a roommate, at some point you have to wonder who is checking up on you and just how much information is out there?
Background Checking for Dummies
Background checks used to be used mainly for people who were going to be working with children or the elderly, adopting a child, or for security clearance. But with so much of our lives happening through a computer screen, we now have many more reasons to do background checks. Obviously, if you are thinking of employing someone, renting your house, or hiring a babysitter, a background check is a no-brainer. But, what about meeting up with people who you’ve met in online forums or while gaming? It’s not uncommon anymore to get to know people online and then eventually meet in person—in fact, it’s the primary way many people find dates and friends these days. However, when people can portray themselves any way they like online, it’s not a bad idea to check people out before allowing them access to your real life. Googling people will give you a certain amount of information, or you can go deeper with one of the sites mentioned above. The most popular smartphone apps for checking are “Been Verified” and the appropriately-named “Background Check.”
The Dark Side of Background Checks
Certainly, it’s legitimate to use background checks for safety and to avoid being conned, but there are ethical issues to consider as well. Apple’s “Been Verified” was removed from the iTunes store amidst concerns about privacy. Although it can only pull from public records, the amount and accessibility of people’s information make it easy to abuse for crimes such as identity theft or stalking. It’s particularly invasive for people who need a high level of privacy, such as those going through child custody or divorce proceedings, judges and public defenders, even providers of controversial services like abortion. Though the information obtained is legally available elsewhere, the implications surrounding such easy accessibility may lead to stronger regulation in the future.
Accuracy Issues
One of the biggest problems with background checks is that they can be wildly inaccurate. When people have the same name, it’s not uncommon for their information to become intermingled in digital databases. If you have the same name as, say, a registered sex offender or someone who has a DUI, for example, the inaccuracy could cost you a job or worse. Though leaders in the background checking industry claim inaccuracies are uncommon, dozens of lawsuits have been filed by people who were hurt by inaccurate background checks. Though there is a process for correcting inaccurate information, it’s difficult and time-consuming. Our electronic footprints are overwhelmingly large these days and making sure every piece of information about us online is correct is a Herculean task.
How to Opt Out
If you aren’t quite ready to accept the fact that an increasingly online society means that we will all have a large and accessible Internet footprint and there’s not much we can do about it, there are opt-out procedures for most background checking sites. While you probably can’t get rid of all the information available about you on every single site, you can be removed from the major ones. Some are easier than others, though—in fact, a few sites make it incredibly difficult, requiring faxed or mailed proof of identity. A guide to opting out of the major background checking sites is helpfully available on Reddit, however, so if you have the time and energy, you can get a lot of your personal information pulled. Just remember that, while your info might disappear from those places, you’re still easily searchable if you don’t lock down your social media. In that case, you only have yourself to blame.
