Many companies today require background checks of job applicants and hired employees to make sure they do not have criminal records or other problems. Commercial services are now available to help employers with this task. ChoicePoint, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, one of the largest U.S. vendors of financial, personal, and legal data, provides an array of services for employee background checks

          A new ChoicePoint product called check-in-a-box sells in stores such as Sam's Club along with other software for home and small business users. It features a CD-ROM that enables users to tap into ChoicePoint's online databases, giving small business users access to data that previously were beyond their reach.

          Although easy access to data for background checking is very useful for employers, it has privacy advocates very worried. Selling background checks over-the-counter could place personal information in the wrong hands. Private investigators are concerned as well, fearing that inexpensive background-checking systems could compete with their businesses. They also complain that ChoicePoint's requirement that users have a business license is not a sufficiently strong control for preventing personal information from falling into the wrong hands. "There are tons of people who have a business license who don't have a business," notes Chris Appelby, president of the Georgia Association of Professional Private Investigators.

          James Lee, ChoicePoint's chief marketing officer, notes that the data provided by check-in-the-box is public information that can be found at courthouses and other government offices if individuals really wanted to find it. The system includes safeguards, including the requirement that a user supply the Social Security number and name of the person they are checking. Federal law requires employers to obtain the signed permission of job applicants before they run background checks on them. However, ChoicePoint users only need to click on a box-it does not require that a form be presented to check to see whether it has been signed by an applicant.

          ChoicePoint imposes tighter controls on users who want to search motor vehicle records and personal credit reports. Users are required to fill out and fax in a number of forms. Each application is than hand-vetted by a ChoicePoint employee, who calls the user to verify that there is a business license. The process usually takes 24 to 48 hours, with users notified by e-mail if access has been approved or denied.

Sources: Adam Geller, "High-Tech Background Checks Hit Stores," Associated Press, March 8, 2004; "Background Checks in a Box," CBSNews.com, March 8, 2004; and www.choicepoint.net, accessed May 15, 2004.