disturbing t.v. commercial!

i don't watch a lot of t.v. (for good reason! ),but i sometimes leave it on for 'background noise'.
usually some news station,or ncis - i like that show!
any who, i heard this commercial come on and it sparked my attention,so i watched it.
it was for a web sight called backgroundcheck.com
this site allows you to look into peoples personal history!!!
the commercial used the premise of some single girl wanting to go on a date with some guy she didn't really know that well,so she used this site to 'check up' on him!
then the commercial goes on to show the guy was arrested for armed robbery!!!
so she doesn't go on the date.
my question is what other info do they have on you?!!!! have you been on welfare? house foreclosed on,car accidents,where you work,how much you make,if you have herpes,did you cheat on a test in highschool,etc...
IS THIS EVEN LEGAL????
what kind of big brother world do we really live in?
a perspective employer may use this and find out you were fired from a job 15 years ago,and not even consider you!
they tell you to shred your important documents before throwing them out. whats the point if this site actually can do what it claims! total identity theft would be possible!
i would be scared to death even to use this site in fear of the info they are getting off of you while your there!
does anybody else know anything about this site? i do not recommend going there,but any info would be nice.

If I recall correctly there was a notion to legalise this sort of thing last year, to protect from those who have a history of domestic abuse I believe, the dating version of a CRB! Lmaoo.

Mixed feelings regarding the matter.

i just cant help but think that this kind of thing is just encouraging people not to take responsibility for themselves and apply some common sense and critical thinking. In starting any deeper relationship with someone, surely it's wise to take things a bit slowly, get to know their lifestyle, views and the people they mix with and seek the opinions of people you trust before they have a chance to really do you any harm.

About 30 years ago this was an hilarious premise. Slightly less funny now that its become reality.

FIVE very different and totally separate things:
Background Checks, DMV Checks, Credit Checks, Employment Verification and Degree Verification ...

So, a (State/Local & National) Background Verification/Check will not show job terminations or specific detail about an individual's employment history or finances, driving history and credit rating. A Background Check shows incarceration, convictions, misdemeanors, felonies. A DMV check shows driving history... and so on.

IMO, they exaggerated in the TV Ad because they want to make as much $$$ off of the ad as they possibly can. Plus, once a person purchases their initial service, they probably sucker them into also purchasing a DMV check and the other services/checks they also offer -- I doubt that it stops at a Background Check.

They probably use that as 'the initial bait', and then offer/sell their other services so you have 'the entire scoop' on an individual ... behind their back ... and the service/company has your hard-earned money ... and credit-card information.

Realistically, most Background Checks will only go as far back as 10-years, except for felonies, incarceration, sexual offenses and the like, that may remain on the record permanently -- unless one was granted an expungment. Security, law-enforcement and related positions or jobs requiring security clearance can go as far back as 25 years for obvious reasons.

When an individual is arrested, for any reason, legitimate and valid reason or invalid reason -- either way, they're considered 'not guilty' until a conviction happens, and one is (arguably) "innocent until proven guilty" ... although we can see how that's starting to change (sarcasm). But, an arrest does not mean guilty -- as we know, arrest and conviction are very different.

I saw the fear-mongering and misleading TV commercial designed to frighten, while generating revenue for them. People who are fearful and frightened are more likely to buy on impulse.

But, on the other hand, would you rather find out 'after the fact' that you are dating someone who was convicted of credit-card fraud or identity-theft or spousal or child abuse ... just to name a few ... or someone who was released after serving prison time for rape or murder?

Many of those who are guilty and convicted and have served prison time repeat their offenses -- hence 'repeat offender' is actually common. And we can agree that a single parent on the dating scene certainly wouldn't want this type of person around their kids.

A while back a co-worker told me her sister was raped working late one evening (by a newly hired employee) in the stairwell of the company she had worked for several years. The company had to pay her over a million dollars in a lawsuit/settlement that had dragged on for several years all because they didn't bother to perform a simple, standard background check. Had they done so, they would have found he had a rather ugly past.

They were sued for "Negligent Hiring." When an employee sues an employer (and they do) the employer does not have a leg to stand on if they did not conduct a background -- due diligence. They have some recourse if they did perform the check b/c the Judge and Jury will believe, "Well they took the necessary precautions and did what they could to protect the safety of workers and to protect them from working alongside a criminal or a sociopath/psychopath.

On another note, had I performed a background check (which wasn't possible at the time 30-years ago) on my former husband I would have never married him. One of many horrible things he did to me was take out a credit card in my name and give it to one of his girlfriends (yes, he had GF's unknown to me) to make purchases.

Since I was young (in my 20's) and didn't have a long credit-history the damage was minimal as he was only given a $300 credit limit ... which, back then, kind of went a long way. The purchases looked legitimate, and as if they were actually my purchases. If a Background was possible and had I conducted one, I surely wouldn't have married him, and instead have headed for the hills, so to speak. I found out way after the fact .. after the damage was done. We were only married a 4 years and I've since remarried. But, it was a frightening 4 years. He did other awful stuff.

They also know that people who utilize their service will assume this: if there's no record of being on welfare and/or no record of being fired from one's past employment, then it didn't happen. But, the truth is, that type of information isn't included on the Background Check service that they are peddling.

Being a welfare recipient or fired from one's job would not surface in a Background Check. Not too mention, and as we can agree, neither job termination or being on welfare are indicative of criminal behavior. Although, this information might surface if an individual is applying for a government job requiring 'secret clearance' where access to this information is available. But, not on the service in the TV Ad that they are pushing.

Hope that helps.

ETA: forget to mention -- Background Checks may also reveal Failure To Appear, Liens and Judgements.