Do you know the identity of the stranger you are talking to? Is he or she telling you the truth? Are you employing a person who has no record as a dangerous criminal? All these and more can be answered by a background check service. The Internet with its vast data is an excellent place to run background investigation on people before starting a relationship or business dealing. However are these services justified in probing individual's records without their official permission?

So what do these services really do? Background check services allow you to check up on people so that you know that they are who they say they are. For a fee, the service will allow you to find out details on personal history, birthplace, address and telephone number. An excellent option if you decide to start a business with some one you do not know anything about.

However they are often conducted to confirm information found on an employment application or resume. In the United States, the Brady Bill requires criminal background checks for those wishing to purchase handguns from licensed firearms dealers. People who want to purchase secret weapons, machine guns and chemicals also have to go through a thorough investigation. Background checks are also required for those working in positions with special security concerns, such as trucking, ports of entry, and airline transportation. Other laws exist to prevent those who do not pass a background check from working in careers involving the elderly, disabled, or children.

Background checks have however sparked off a lot of controversy. While some people are not concerned about background investigations, others are uncomfortable with the idea of an investigator poking around in their personal history. In-depth background checks could unearth information that is irrelevant, taken out of context, or just plain wrong. A further concern is that the report might include information that is illegal to use for hiring purposes or which comes from questionable sources."

In May 2002, Northwest airlines conducted improper pre-hire background checks on its employees. This sparked off a civil law suit between the company and 10,000 of its mechanics.

These services it seams include records of arrests made. So if an individual was arrested and then released, then his or her record will effect the employers decision. This is unfair according to many. A lot of people believe that a man might be arrested and then released with a charge of innocence. So is it right dragging up the issue again?

What can we conclude from the present situation of laws on the issue of background check? Well, nothing has been done yet by governments to control the double-edged nature of investigating backgrounds of people. Critics believe that such measures as this should be controlled by other checking laws. For example, a person should be handed a copy of the record going to the investigator. True guilt and not arrests should be included in the report. The debate however continues between privacy organizations and employment agencies. What it will lead to, we can only wait and watch.