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Background-Check Software Goes Retail

Makarand writes "According to this article in the Mercury News, ChoicePoint Inc., one of the nation's largest vendors of personal, financial and legal data is attempting to mass market a background-check software tool-kit which can be used to tap into ChoicePoint's online databases. Choicepoint requires that you have a business license to run a small business to use this software. However, as users of these services are rarely audited or asked to produce their business license, the purchaser can potentially conduct criminal background checks, Social Security number identification and other checks on anyone for a small fee. Privacy advocates are cautioning that making background-check software a consumer product could easily put personal information into the wrong hands."

3 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. Butt Out by Tux-TechBuzz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I think that the government should not worry about customer information and worry about what is going on in the rest of the world(IRAQ, Osama...) This is one of the smallest problems in the world we live in today!

  2. Slashdot being slashdotted!? by flynns · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Okay, am I the only one who's getting "page unavailable" and "503 Service Not Available" errors every other time I try to read slashdot?

    Is slashdot being slashdotted? Or has sco.com finally redirected all the mydoom traffic to slashdot? [as per http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2004/01/30/wwwsc ocom_is_a_weapon_of_mass_destruction.html ]

    --
    'If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit.'
  3. My policy by Dr_Java · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Voting with my feet - I won't be shopping at EB again.