The primary cause of a hireright failed background check and reporting inaccuracies is the consumer data industry's near-exclusive reliance on algorithms for data collection, sorting, selection, and relevance assessment—all without the inclusion of a significant or adequate human review component. The sheer amount of data and the numerous sources of data streams are staggering. Although the algorithms are excellent at searching large areas quickly, they currently lack the subtlety and refinement needed to properly filter out inaccurate data.


For example, if the middle and last names of an applicant match the first and last names of a criminal offender, an algorithm may include the criminal record in a HireRight background check report. There is potential for inaccuracy when one relies on technology to discern between minute data and whole contextual profiles.

The most frequent sources of data mistakes in this ocean of data and algorithms are:

1. Errors in data entry or input. These mistakes happen when data is entered into a database. Erroneous dates, birthdates, misspellings, etc. are examples of mistakes.

2. Co-mingled or mixed files. When data from unrelated people is combined into a single report, mistakes like these happen.

3. Identity Theft: Unauthorized use of another person's information, or identity theft, can seriously damage a consumer profile by producing a large amount of inaccurate data.

4. Failure to update. The data technology procedures must be updated often to gather new or complete data in order to stay current. If an update isn't done, data that is unfair, erroneous, or obsolete may find its way into a report. Municipal systems, for example, update their records to reflect the expungement (erasure) of certain criminal convictions after a set amount of time. However, if HireRight's system isn't updated on a regular basis, these modifications won't be picked up during the data gathering process. Therefore, a criminal record that is no longer legally required to be disclosed might come up in a job application.

Main Error Types

It would be simpler to discuss the primary categories of HireRight background check problems in a practical setting. These categories include:

1. Changes in the order of the numbers of a Social Security number
2. Inaccurate or lacking information in the original papers
3. inaccurate criminal histories
4. Outdated data (such as convictions that were withdrawn but weren't updated)
5. Identity theft leading to the incorrect person's unrelated criminal history being linked to
6. Information from scenarios involving fraud and identity theft that is deemed reliable.
7. Information from other sources (criminal, credit, financial, job, housing, etc.) that is included in your report.