Background Check Notice

1. What the background check is

The background check is an optional check a business can turn on. It searches public records for entries that match the details of the person being checked and reports what it finds so the business can review it.

2. Sources

Identity Entry searches only public sources, such as public registries and state court records, whose terms permit automated search. Sources that do not allow automated access are not used.

Where no permitted source exists for a state, the result is Caution so a person on the business's team can review it. Coverage therefore varies by state, and a clear result means that the permitted sources returned no match, not that no record exists anywhere.

3. Consent comes first

Before the background check runs, the person reads a consent notice explaining what will be searched and accepts it. If the person does not accept, the background check does not run.

4. Purpose is recorded

The business records why it needs the background check. That purpose is stored with the check so the reason for the search can be shown later.

5. How results work

• A name match in public records can belong to someone else. A match is therefore always Caution and never an automatic Fail.
• A person on the business's team reviews each match and decides whether it relates to the person being checked.
• A background check that cannot be completed is never counted as a Pass.

6. Accuracy limits

Public records can be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and they can contain people with the same or similar names. Identity Entry reports what the permitted sources return and does not correct or verify those sources. Businesses should treat results as a starting point for review, not a final answer.

7. Fair Credit Reporting Act

In the United States, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and similar state laws may apply when background information is used for employment, housing, credit, insurance or similar decisions. Those laws can require specific disclosures, written authorization, and notices before and after an adverse decision. The business is responsible for deciding whether those laws apply to its use and for giving every notice they require.

8. Fair use of results

Businesses must use background results lawfully and fairly, including under laws that limit the use of criminal history in hiring and housing decisions. Results may not be used to discriminate or to harass anyone.

9. Disputes

If you believe a background result about you is wrong, contact the business that requested the check. The business can review the match, record a different decision and explain the result to you. You can also use the contact page and we will pass your concern to the business and help it look into the result.

10. Retention

Background results are kept with the check result in the business's workspace so the decision can be explained later. Photos taken during the same check are deleted on the schedule in the Data Retention policy.