Privacy Policy

Introduction and Table of Contents

Name: Validity Screening Solutions
Address: United States
Telephone: 9133225999

Validity Screening Solutions (“Validity” or “we” or “our”) strives to protect the privacy of anyone who uses its website https://www.validityscreening.com (“Website”), products, and services (“Services”). This privacy policy (“Policy”) describes our practices for collecting, using, storing, and sharing the personal data and information of individuals and organizations (“you” or “your”).
The information we collect and how we use the collected information depends on how you interact with us. To determine what type of user you are, please visit the Information Collection section of this Policy.
Please be aware that the use of our Website and Services indicates your agreement to this Policy.

This Policy consists of the following topics:

Information Collection
How We Collect Your Personal Information & Data
How We Use Your Personal Information & Data
How We Store Your Personal Information & Data
Marketing
Your Data Protection Rights
Cookies
Trusted Third Parties & Links to Other Websites
Other Important Privacy Information
State Privacy Laws
California Privacy Rights
GDPR & International Information
Changes to This Policy
Contact Information

Privacy Policy

Information Collection

We collect several types of information from and about the users of our Website, including the following categories:

Customers/Service Providers

Customers (“Customers” or “Clients” or “End-Users”) are individuals or organizations that do business with us through using one or more of our Services, including submitting and obtaining background check information.
Service Providers (“Service Providers” or “Vendors” or “Suppliers”) are individuals or organizations that work with Validity to provide certain data and services to Validity.
What information do we collect?
- Company/Organization information including but not limited to, business name, mailing address, size, industry, credit information, and our services you order.
- Contact information for primary contacts and authorized users, including but not limited to, full name, title, phone number, and email address.
- Billing information, including but not limited to, invoice contact name and email address, account numbers, banking or credit card information, and other financial information.

Consumers

Consumers (“Consumers” or “Candidates” or “Applicants”) are individuals who are the subject of a background screening report that was ordered by Validity’s Client and prepared by Validity.
What information do we collect?
- Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
  - Name, date of birth, social security number, address, phone number, email address, national identification number, and driver’s license number.
- Driving record history
- Right to work/Work permit information
- Education history and qualifications.
- Employment history.
- Personal and Professional references
- Professional licenses, qualifications and registrations with professional entities.
- Appearance on global sanctions or terrorist watch lists
- Drug screening and occupational health results
- Publicly sourced information
  - Social media, online media, and other types of media information.
- Criminal history
  - Arrest records, court records, etc.
- Financial Information
  - Credit history, bankruptcies, and financial judgments.
  - Billing information if consumer is paying for their own background screening.
- Other information that may be requested by the Client or Service Provider.

Website Users/Visitors

Any information you provide to us while visiting our Website may be collected. This information includes, but is not limited to, name, title, phone number, email address, mailing address, company/organization name, marketing and email preferences.

When you visit our Website, we collect technical data such as, computer ID, internet protocol (IP) address, domain name, your location, which web pages on our Website you visited, length of time spent on each webpage, etc. A “cookie” may be placed on your computer when visiting our Website. Cookies are used to collect information about your computer activity and allow our Website to recognize your information each time you visit. For information about cookies, please see the Cookies section below.

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

How We Collect Your Personal Information & Data

We collect your personal information & data via one or more of the following methods:

Information You Provide To Us

The information you provide to us that we collect through our Website may include:
Information that you provide directly to us by registering for our Website or submitting an application for a background screening via our Compliance Automation Software (CAS).
Any personal information provided by you directly to Validity employees via email, online chat, or over the phone.
If you contact us, we will collect records of your correspondence.
Your responses to surveys, questionnaires, and other marketing materials distributed by Validity.

Automatic Data Collection Technologies

As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect details of your visits to our Website, information about your computer (IP address, browser type, etc.), and other technical information including cookies. For more information on cookies and how to manage them, please see the Cookies section of this Policy.

Third Parties

Validity may need to collect information from third parties depending on the service that was ordered for a background screening. These third parties include the following sources:

Public Records
- Obtained from courthouses, online court systems, law enforcement agencies, and other government agencies.
- Includes, but not limited to: civil court records, criminal court records, and publicly available media.
Non-Public Records
- Obtained from schools and other educational institutions, credit bureaus, employers, professional and licensing organizations, healthcare service providers (including drug testing), references, and any other third parties the consumer has provided us to contact for information pertaining to their background screening.
- Includes, but not limited to: education records (diplomas, transcripts, etc.), employment records (W2s, paystubs, etc.), financial records (credit history, financial judgments, etc.), and health records (drug screening results, etc).

How We Use Information We Collect

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To present our Website and provide access to its contents.
To communicate with you regarding information about new features and services on the Website, services offered by Validity or to send you information about selected third-party products or service providers. We may also use the information to respond to emails/phone calls/online chat messages, provide client/candidate support or other similar matters.
- If you do not want us to use your information for this purpose, please contact us or adjust your user preferences in your account settings. Please see the Marketing section of this Policy for more information.
To perform services you request from Validity. These services include processing background screenings, producing consumer reports, and providing access to consumer reports.
To perform daily business operations. These operations include managing account information and preferences, responding to inquiries about accounts and Services, drafting proposals and agreements, and processing invoices and payment transactions.
To improve our services and Website functionality. Aggregate information is used to help us run and maintain the Website, study traffic patterns and generally learn about how everyone uses the Website. This information is also used to troubleshoot problems and improve the functionality and quality of our services.
To maintain security measures. We use the collected information to secure the Website, safeguard Consumer/Client account credentials by verifying identity prior to granting account access, prevent duplicate accounts and unauthorized account access, and protect against fraud or other illegal activities.
For legal compliance. We will use the collected information to stay compliant with any applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and procedures. We may also use the collected information to comply with any court order, subpoena, legal or governmental request, or legal investigation.
For any other purpose with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law.

Please be aware Validity, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to transfer ownership of the Website, Validity Screening Solutions, or Validity Screening Solutions’ assets to any third-party. Such transfer of assets may include your personally identifiable information.

Except as noted above, Validity will not sell your personally identifiable information to any party.

Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information

How We Store Your Personal Information & Data

Marketing

Email Communications

Validity would like to send you information about products and services of ours that may interest you or your business needs.

You can receive information about our products and services by subscribing to our newsletter. We will collect your name and email address to send the newsletter.

You may opt out of receiving our newsletter or marketing communications via one of the following methods:

Clicking the email preferences hyperlink located at the bottom of the newsletter emails.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service

Media

If you upload images to the Website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the Website can download and extract any location data from images on the Website.

Website Testimonials

Our Website features video and written testimonials from our Clients. With your written consent, we will display your testimonial, name, and company on our Website. If you ever wish to have your testimonial removed our Website, please contact us.

Changes to Personal Information or Marketing Preferences

If your personal information has changed (name change, address change, etc.) or you would no longer like to receive marketing materials (emails, surveys, etc.), you may contact us via email or phone to update your information or preferences.

If you would like to access, correct, or deleted your personal information, please follow the steps outlined in Additional Privacy Information for California Consumers.

Your Data Protection Rights

Cookies

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small files placed on your computer to collect information regarding usage of our Website, enable our systems to recognize your device, and to provide features such as personalized advertisements on other websites. When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect information from you via Cookies or similar technology. To learn more about Cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

How do we use Cookies?

We use cookies to analyze traffic to the Website and track variables such as total unique visitors and pages viewed on the Website. This information assists us in making various improvements to the Website based upon that data. We never save passwords nor credit card information in cookies.

If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.

What types of Cookies do we use?

Essential Cookies – We use Essential Cookies to enable our Website to function. They are also required for each Website visitor to navigate through our Website and its services.
Google Analytics – Our Website uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). GA4 does not use or accept third-party cookies. Instead, GA4 relies on first-party cookies and other methods of data collection.
- For example, Google Analytics (GA) stores the client ID (made up of a unique ID and timestamp) in a first-party GA cookie. This allows Google to recognize if someone is a returning Website user or not, accurately attribute actions taken by unique visitors, and provide metrics about the number of first visits, first-time customers, and more.

How to Manage Cookies

The use of cookies to provide personalized services has become a standard in the industry. As such, many web browsers are initially configured to accept cookies. You may, however, configure your web browser to reject cookies or indicate when a cookie is being sent. To learn how to remove cookies from your browser, you may visit the website listed in the What are Cookies? section. If you refuse or remove cookies, please be aware you may not be able to use some, or all, of the functionality on the Website.

California’s “Do Not Track” Law

Generally, our Website does respond to “Do Not Track” browser settings. However, our Website may not respond to browser settings, such as “Do Not Track,” if you have certain plugins added or installed on your browser.

Trusted Third Parties and Links to Other Websites

Other Important Privacy Information

Data Security

One of our primary concerns is the security of your personal information. We maintain reasonable procedures to provide secure retention of your personal information. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. As a result, we do not guarantee, and do not warrant, the security of any information you transmit to the Website or Validity.

We work to protect the security of your information during transmission by using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts information you input. We use a combination of technological and policy methods to protect this data.

The safety and security of your information also depends on you. You are responsible for assisting with maintaining the confidentiality of your account information. Please be aware that Validity will never ask you for your account information in an unsolicited phone call or email.

Children Under the Age of 13

Our Website is not directed at or intended for children under the age of 13. Validity does not knowingly collect or request personal information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that a child under the age of 13 has provided personal information to Validity, we will delete the information from our databases as quickly as possible. Validity is committed to protecting the privacy of children by complying with applicable laws, such as the United State’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).

Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy:

To vendors, service providers, suppliers, and other third parties we use to support our business and who are bound by written agreements to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it. For example, if you give us a name and email address to use the “Did someone awesome send you this newsletter?” feature of our marketing emails, we will transmit the contents of that email and your email address to the recipients.
For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
With your consent.

We may also disclose your personal information:

To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request.
To enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes.
If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Validity, our customers, or others.

The categories of personal information we may disclose include:

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Right to work/work permit information
Education history and qualifications
Employment history
Personal and Professional References
Professional qualifications and registrations with professional bodies
Publicly sourced information (e.g. media information)
Criminal history
Financial information such as credit history, bankruptcy or financial judgments
Appearance on global sanctions or terrorist watch lists
Driving record information

State Privacy Laws

State Consumer Privacy Laws

Certain states have consumer privacy laws that may provide their residents with additional rights regarding the use of their personal information. California has extensive consumer privacy laws. To learn more about California residents’ privacy rights, please see California

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia provide (now or in the future) their state residents with the following rights:

Right to confirm whether we process their personal information.
Right to access: The consumer’s right to access certain personal information or categories of collected information.
Right to delete: The consumer’s right to request deletion of certain personal information.
Right to correct: The consumer’s right to correct inaccuracies in their personal information, taking into account the information’s nature processing purpose (excluding Iowa and Utah).
Right to data portability: The consumer’s right to request their personal information be disclosed in a common file format.
Right to opt-out of personal data processing for:
- targeted advertising (excluding Iowa);
- sales; or
- profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects (excluding Iowa and Utah).
Right to opt-in to sensitive personal data processing: The consumer’s right to opt-in before a business can process their sensitive personal data.

Please note that the state privacy laws referenced in this section generally do not apply to personal data that is processed under the FCRA. Generally, the information Validity Screening Solutions (Validity) collects and processes is for purpose of providing a consumer report pursuant to the FCRA. When providing consumer reports, we process and store your personal data in accordance with the obligations set forth under the FCRA (and equivalent state law). Please refer to the how we collect, how we use, and how we store sections for additional information regarding the use of personal data and information.

Validity also acts as a service provider or processor in relation to personal information we collect and process through our Services. Our Clients act as a “business” under the CCPA. Validity is not responsible for our Clients’ privacy policies or procedures. The privacy practices of our Clients are subject to their privacy policies. Validity recommends you review your privacy policies with qualified legal counsel.

If you are a resident of any states defined in this section and would like to exercise your rights, please see the Access, Correct, and Delete Your Data paragraph below to learn how to submit a request.

Nevada Residents

If you are a Nevada resident, the State provides you with a limited right to opt-out of certain personal information sales. If you wish to exercise this right and are a current resident of Nevada, please contact us via one of the following methods defined in the Access, Correct, or Delete Your Data paragraph of this section. Please note Validity does not currently sell data triggering that statute’s opt-out requirements.

Access, Correct, or Delete Your Data

Consumers may submit a request to access, correct, or delete their data via any of the following methods:

Call our Consumer Inquiries line at 866.256.0624. (Please be aware this phone number is a voicemail box. After the ring tone, please provide your contact information and a summary of your request.)
Email our Consumer Inquiries team at consumerinquiry@validityscreening.com.
Fill out the Consumer Inquiry Form on our Website. You may access the form here.
You may also send the request via postal mail to our mailing address:

ATTN: Consumer Inquiry

Validity Screening Solutions

PO Box 25406

Overland Park, KS 66225

California Privacy Rights

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) (collectively, CCPA) provides certain rights if you are a California resident. However, the CCPA has an exception for information collected and processed under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Generally, the information Validity Screening Solutions (Validity) collects and processes is for purpose of providing a consumer report pursuant to the FCRA. When providing consumer reports, we process and store your personal data in accordance with the obligations set forth under the FCRA (and equivalent state law). Please refer to the how we collect, how we use, and how we store sections for additional information regarding the use of personal data and information.

Although the CCPA provides an exception for information collected and processed under the FCRA, Validity also acts as a service provider or processor in relation to personal information we collect and process through our Services. Our Clients act as a “business” under the CCPA. Validity is not responsible for our Clients’ privacy policies or procedures. The privacy practices of our Clients are subject to their privacy policies. Validity recommends you review your privacy policies with qualified legal counsel.

Your Rights Under the CCPA

Unless there is an FCRA exemption or Validity is acting as a service provider or processor, you have the following rights if you are a California resident:

You have the right to request Validity to disclose information that we have collected about you. This includes the categories of information, the categories of sources, the purpose for collecting or selling that information, the categories of third-parties that share the information, and the specific pieces of information we collected.
You have the right to access your personal data.
You have the right to request Validity deletes certain personal data unless the personal data is subject to an exemption, or Validity is acting as service provider or processor.
If Validity sells personal information or discloses it for a business purpose, you also have the right to request the categories of third-parties whom we sold your information or disclosed your information for a business purpose (by category of personal information in each case).
You have the right to request to opt-out of our sale of personal data about you.
You have the right to be free of retaliation for exercising your rights under the CCPA. Validity will not discriminate against you because of your decision to exercise your rights.

As this term is defined by the CCPA, Validity does not and will not “sell” personal information, including information collected from consumers under 16 years of age.

How To Submit A Request

To submit a request, you may email clientservices@validityscreening.com. In your email, please include the following information:

your full name;
all physical addresses we may have associated with you;
all email addresses we may have associated with you;
all telephone numbers we may have associated with you;
all employers we may have associated with you.

Please note we may need to take additional steps to verify your identity. If you delegate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, we may require the authorized agent to provide proof of written permission from you. We may also require you to verify your own identity directly with Validity.

GDPR and International Users

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The European Union (“EU”) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy and to reshape the way organizations across the region approach data privacy.

Validity Screening Solutions (“Validity”) is a Consumer Reporting Agency, as defined within the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681) (“FCRA”), of domestic and international information for processing background screening for employment or other purposes permitted under the FCRA or other applicable law.

The Consumer, defined within the GDPR as the Data Subject, provides personal data to you, the Client, defined within the GDPR as the Controller. Validity is a Processor of the personal data as defined within the GDPR. The personal data has been supplied to Validity by the Controller, in order to provide the services according to, and as notified in the service agreement, where applicable. This notice is intended to inform you, the Controller, about the personal information Validity collects and processes as a Processor under the GDPR.

International Onward Transfer

Validity may transfer the personal data to other countries outside of the residence country, including to and from the United States (“U.S.”), by whatever means is determined to be appropriate in order to perform a background screening per your instruction. The information may also be processed and stored in other countries where third-party agents and providers are located. The information may be subject to U.S. or other laws for disclosure and may be accessible to foreign law enforcement, national security agencies, or courts. Note that the laws regarding personal information in some of the jurisdictions involved may be different or less stringent than the laws of the country of residency.

Please be aware that Validity may be required to disclose an individual’s personal information in response to a lawful request by public authorities, including meeting national security or law enforcement requirements

Personal Information Disclosure: United States or Overseas

Generally, Validity does not transfer information to third-parties outside of the United States or its territories. Your personal information may only be transferred to third-parties outside the United States or its territories only to the extent that it is necessary to conduct a background check on you from sources of information outside of the United States. This transfer of information will only occur if you have resided or have been employed outside of the United States and we are requested by your employer or proposed employer to conduct a background check from sources outside of the United States (e.g., conducting an international criminal check or verifying educational or employment records outside of the U.S.).

Use of Third-Party Agents and/or Sub-Processors

In order to provide our services, Validity utilizes in some cases, third-party agents, both domestically and internationally, to perform tasks on behalf of and under the instruction of Validity. Personal data, including EU and Swiss personal data, obtained on a consumer may be disclosed from Validity’s clients to third-parties (such as agents, representatives, vendors, and/or sub-processors) for the purpose of performing functions related to the limited and specified purpose for which the data was collected. Validity’s agents, vendors, and/or sub-processors are contractually obligated 1) to use, protect, and maintain the same levels of confidentiality and protection of personal information consistent with Validity standards.

InformData (“InformData”) is a sub-processor assigned by Validity to process international background screenings per the instruction of the Controller. InformData is a data furnisher, as defined within the FCRA, of domestic and international information for processing background screenings for employment or other purposes permitted under the FCRA or other applicable law. InformData can be contacted at its offices located at: 1701 Barrett Lakes Boulevard NW, Suite 380, Kennesaw, Georgia, 30144, United States of America. InformData’s Privacy Policy can be accessed on its website: https://www.informdata.com/privacy-policy.

For your more information on data protection and privacy rights, please go to the “What are your data protection rights?” section.

Changes To This Policy

Contact Information

To obtain additional information regarding our Privacy Policy, practices related to collecting and using information for marketing purposes, or to obtain additional information regarding policies in the event of a compromise of your information, please contact us via the following methods:

By mail:

Validity Screening Solutions

ATTN: Compliance Department

PO Box 25406

Overland Park, KS 66225

By phone: 913-322-5900

By email: clientservices@validityscreening.com

Last Revised: June 10, 2024