Background Check Automation Research

Completed May 30, 2026

Executive Summary

Consolidated all 4 child task findings into BACKGROUND_CHECK_RESEARCH_MASTER.md (255 lines). Ranked 43 sources into 4 tiers: Tier 1 (4 proven-working free tools — Holehe, h8mail, WHOIS, HIBP), Tier 2 (3 low-cost APIs — Numverify, Hunter.io, EmailRep), Tier 3 (8 OSINT tools worth installing), and Tier 4 (17 enterprise/paid sources to skip).

📊 Key Findings

Built automation viability matrix showing what's automatable vs. manual-only across 7 categories. Defined 4-phase scope: Phase 0 Setup (2hrs/$0) through Phase 3 Multi-Subject (16-22hrs total, $0-25/mo). Documented legal/ethical constraints (FCRA, consent, TOS). Core finding: Scott's minimal digital footprint simplifies the build — 4 tools cover everything automatable today.

📈 At a Glance

Key Finding: Scott's minimal digital footprint (1 hit across 630+ sites) simplifies the build to 4 proven tools + 3 low-cost APIs

Monthly Cost Range: $0-25

⏱ Timeline

💬 Additional Insights

Decomposed into t_938324b6, t_bda2ed0b, t_3fb5ca62, t_76cb5158. Root will wake when all children complete.