Search on a person’s name and you’ll more than likely be presented with various “background search” services. These companies collect public information from government sources, integrate it into searchable databases, and then publish “doorway pages” that search engines crawl and index. Those doorway pages are optimized for the names of people whom you may know.

It can seem alarming to find criminal records databases that purport to include information about you, your relatives, and your friends. Sometimes there really is solid information to be found. More often than not you’re just being sucked in to a monthly subscription plan that will be automatically billed to your credit card or bank account.

The RBG Public Information Archive has been assisting people in learning about and understanding how public records work for years. Our team of experienced writers have researched many topics and compiled extensive notes about how you can and should conduct public records search for real estate, criminal background checks, employment history, and more.

The article archive has been moved to a new home on the Web but you can still find much information on our RBG Information Archive blog about changes in government policies and the implications of new information laws and services.