System and Method for Authorization and Disclosure for Background Information Searches

Abstract

A system and automated method for verification of employment history regarding a job applicant, the method including receiving information identifying an applicant, receiving employment history information for the job applicant, receiving information identifying an identified verification contact for verification of the employment history information, automatically providing the identified verification contact with a question pertaining to employment history information, receiving an answer from the identified verification contact, storing the answer.

1 - 51 . (canceled) 
     
     
         52 . An automated method for verification of employment history regarding a job applicant, the method comprising:
 receiving a verification initiation request from an account holder;   receiving information identifying the job applicant;   receiving employment history information for the job applicant, the employment history information comprising at least one employment detail;   receiving information identifying an identified verification contact for verification of the employment history information;   automatically providing the identified verification contact with at least one question pertaining to the at least one employment detail of the employment history information;   receiving at least one answer verifying the at least one employment detail of the employment history information from the identified verification contact corresponding to the at least one question; and   generating and storing in a database a verification report corresponding to a result of verifying the employment history information, the verification report comprising a verified set of data corresponding to the at least one employment detail of the employment history information,   wherein the verification report is available in the database for subsequent employment applications, and   wherein access to the verification report is controlled according to access information received from the account holder.   
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the received employment history information is provided by the job applicant. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the received employment history information is provided by an applicant tracking system. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the information identifying the identified verification contact is provided by the job applicant. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the information identifying the identified verification contact is provided by an automated verification contact lookup. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the received information identifies a plurality of contacts for verification of the employment history information. 
     
     
         58 . An automated method for verification of background information, the method comprising:
 receiving information identifying a first individual;   receiving background information for the first individual;   receiving information identifying an identified verification contact for verification of the background information;   automatically providing the identified verification contact with at least one question pertaining to the background information;   receiving an answer from the identified verification contact corresponding to the at least one question;   verifying the background information with the answer; and   generating and storing in a database a verification report corresponding to a result of verifying the background information,   wherein the verification report is available in the database for sharing,   wherein sharing of the verification report is controlled according to access information received from the first individual,   wherein a verification request to initiate the verification of the background information of the first individual is received from the first individual,   wherein a report request to receive the verification report corresponding to the first individual after the verification corresponding to the first individual has been generated and stored in the database is received from a requestor different from the first individual, and   wherein the verification report corresponding to the first individual is shared with the requestor if the access information permits access to the requestor.   
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the received background information contains information about the first individual's educational history. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the received background information contains information about the first individual's personal references. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the received background information is provided by the first individual. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the received background information is provided by an applicant tracking system. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the received background information is provided by a commercial background check. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the information identifying the identified verification contact is provided by the first individual. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the information identifying the identified verification contact is provided by an automated verification contact lookup. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 58 ,
 wherein the at least one question pertaining to the background information is provided to the identified verification contact by email, and   wherein the answer from the identified verification contact is received by email.   
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 58 ,
 wherein the question pertaining to the background information is provided to the identified verification contact on a website, and   wherein the answer from the identified verification contact is received by entry through the website.   
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the received information identifies a plurality of identified verification contacts for verification of the background information. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 58 ,
 wherein the first individual is one of a plurality of verified individuals,   wherein the verification report corresponding to the first individual is one of a plurality of verification reports corresponding to the verified individuals stored in the database,   wherein each of the verification reports comprises a plurality of verified data points, and   wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving a query from a second individual, 
 searching the verification reports for data points corresponding to the query, 
 generating a list of the verified individuals whose verification reports comprise the data points corresponding to the query, and 
 providing the second individual with the list. 
   
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 58 ,
 wherein the first individual is a prospective employee, an online dating member, a prospective student, a prospective tenant, or a business owner, and   wherein the requestor is an employer, another online dating member, a school, a landlord, or a potential customer.   
     
     
         71 . An automated method for research or sharing of individual personal information, the method comprising:
 providing a first computer interface for use by a first individual to receive verified personal information pertaining to a second individual over a network after the second individual grants the first individual access to the verified personal information;   providing a second computer interface for use by the second individual to provide unverified personal information over the network and to provide access information to control access to the verified personal information; and   providing a third computer interface for use by a personal information search provider to provide the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual over the network corresponding to results from a personal information search,   wherein the verified personal information comprises a set of verified data.   
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the first individual is an employer, a school, an online dating member, a landlord, or a potential customer, and the second individual is a prospective employee, a prospective student, another online dating member, a prospective tenant, a business, or a merchant. 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein at least one of the first computer interface, the second computer interface, or the third computer interface is a web based computer interface. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the network is a public network. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the verified personal information is at least one of identification information, employment history, a credit report, a driving record, an address history, a criminal background check, civil records, bankruptcy records, professional license information, or regulatory sanction information. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the second computer interface for use by the second individual provides controls to selectively limit access to the second individual's verified personal information by others. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the second computer interface for use by the second individual implements a process of authorizing background research by the personal information search provider. 
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein the third computer interface for use by the personal information search provider displays orders for verified information pertaining to the second individual. 
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 71 ,
 wherein types of verified personal information comprise identification information, employment history, a credit report, a driving record, an address history, a criminal back ground check, civil records, bankruptcy records, professional license information, or regulatory sanction information,   wherein the personal information search provider is a commercial search provider that provides a search report corresponding to at least one of the types of verified personal information,   wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving a request for at least one search report corresponding to at least one of the types of verified personal information, the request being received from the first individual or the second individual, 
 providing the request to the commercial search provider, 
 receiving the search report corresponding to the request, and 
 storing the search report as at least a part of the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual. 
   
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 79 ,
 wherein the verified personal information comprises a plurality of search reports each comprising different types of verified personal information, and   wherein the method further comprises, receiving access information from the second individual to selectively control access to the different types of verified personal information by the first individual.   
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 71 , the method further comprising:
 receiving information identifying an identified verification contact for providing at least a portion of the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual from the second computer interface over the network;   providing a fourth computer interface for use by an information verification contact over the network to:
 automatically provide the identified verification contact with at least one question pertaining to the unverified personal information of the second individual, and 
 provide an answer from the identified verification contact corresponding to the at least one question; and 
   generating at least a portion of the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual by comparing the unverified personal information to the answer.   
     
     
         82 . An automated system for researching or sharing personal information reports comprising:
 a network interface;   a member database for storing member information accessed through the network interface by members or a data provider;   a background search request database for storing orders for personal information reports accessed through the network interface by the data provider;   an auxiliary information database for storing system management information accessed through the network interface by the members or the data provider; and   a server coupled to the member database, background search request database, and auxiliary information database through the network interface, wherein the server is configured to:
 provide a first computer interface for use by a first member of the members to:
 submit a request to a second member of the members for access to a personal information report of the personal information reports pertaining to the second member; and 
 receive the personal information report pertaining to the second member after the second member grants the first member access to the personal information report pertaining to the second member; 
 
 provide a second computer interface for use by the second member to:
 provide unverified personal information over the network; and 
 control access to the personal information report pertaining to the second member; and 
 
 provide a third computer interface for use by the data provider to provide the personal information report pertaining to the second member over the network, 
   wherein the member information comprises the personal information reports,   wherein the orders for the personal information reports comprise requests to provide verified personal information pertaining to the second member,   wherein at least one of the members can request the orders for the personal information reports, and   wherein the personal information reports provided by the data provider correspond to results of background searches.   
     
     
         83 . The automated system of  claim 82 , wherein the member database is configured to be searched by the members. 
     
     
         84 . The automated system of  claim 82 ,
 wherein the server is configured to further provide a fourth computer interface for use by a third member that is different from the first member and the second member to receive the personal information report pertaining to the second member, and   wherein the third member did not request an order for the personal information report pertaining to the second member.   
     
     
         85 . The automated system of  claim 82 , wherein the server is further configured to:
 receive information identifying an identified verification contact for providing at least a portion of the personal information report pertaining to the second member from the second computer interface over the network;   provide a fourth computer interface for use by an information verification contact over the network to:
 automatically provide the identified verification contact with at least one question pertaining to the unverified personal information of the second member, and 
 provide an answer from the identified verification contact corresponding to the at least one question; and 
   generate at least a portion of the personal information report pertaining to the second member by comparing the unverified personal information to the answer.   
     
     
         86 . A server for an automated personal information research or sharing system, the server comprising:
 a processor; and   memory operably coupled to the processor for storing program instructions, the processor being operable to execute the program instructions, the program instructions including:
 providing a first interface for use by a first individual to receive, over a network, verified personal information pertaining to a second individual after the second individual grants the first individual access to the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual; 
 providing a second interface for use by the second individual to:
 provide unverified personal information over the network; and 
 control access to the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual; and 
 
 providing a third interface for use by a personal information search provider to provide the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual over the network corresponding to results from a personal information search. 
   
     
     
         87 . The server of  claim 86 , wherein the program instructions further include providing the first interface for use by the first individual to submit a request to the second individual for access to the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual over the network. 
     
     
         88 . The server of  claim 86 , wherein the program instructions further include providing the second interface for use by the second individual to submit an invitation to the first individual to access to the verified personal information pertaining to the second individual over the network.