RIP ID True: Consolidation In The Data Broker Market

The initial signals

In March 2025, we’ve received 1,589 reports that ID True was offline. ID True didn’t make any formal announcement and many search engines like Google, the BBB, and Crunchbase still reported it as active. But we’ve monitored the site for the last 6 months and have officially marked it as shut down. One less bottom feeder to worry about, we thought. But the story is much bigger.

Private Equity and the Billion dollar background checks market consolidation

The Better Business Bureau reported that ID True launched in 2013 and described the company as a public records and background check website. Founded by Dan Ellis, the site was related to a network of other background check companies. And as of December 2025, Dan Ellis still leads backgroundchecks.com.

But ID True and backgroundchecks.com are tied to a much larger story. In April 2025, a leading background checks company, HireRight, acquired backgroundchecks.com for an undisclosed amount. And in 2024, HireRight itself was acquired for $1.7 Billion by private equity firms General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital.

Following the timeline, the story becomes clear.

1. January 2025, backgroundchecks.com operates idtrue.com as a marketing site and way to drive traffic and advertising revenue.

2. Winter 2025, HireRight makes an offer to acquire the background check company. And Dan Ellis, an operator of a small data broker in the US, sees the writing on the wall. Consumer privacy rights and fines make his business unsustainable. The California Regulators are coming for them in 2026.

3. April 2025, backgroundchecks.com sells to HireRight, and they shut down the direct to consumer people search site, ID True, because of the regulatory risk

4. March 2025, ID True goes offline as HireRight absorbs the assets and shuts it down

Personal data is harder to access, but not totally deleted

We are excited about regulators shutting down illegal data brokers in the US. But that doesn’t mean the data is being deleted. In the case of HireRight’s acquisition, the backgroundchecks.com data likely merges into the private data sets HireRight advertises as a part of their background check services for employers.

The good news? Random creeps on the internet can’t search you on ID Trust. The privacy reality? Employers can still purchase this data and use it to make hiring decisions. It’s not the perfect solution, but laws attempt to limit how powerful orgs can and can’t use personal data.

What can you do?

While the fight for online privacy continues, you can take control of your data with Kanary. Our platform empowers you to:

• Remove your information from data brokers: We help you find and remove your data from numerous data brokers, reducing your online exposure.

• Monitor for new exposures: We constantly scan the web for your information and alert you if it appears on new data broker sites.

• Take control of your online presence: We provide the tools and resources you need to manage your online privacy proactively.

Download our free user-friendly mobile app, available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and join our Discord community to connect with fellow privacy enthusiasts, share insights, and learn from others.

Questions? Our team is here to help, reach out at [email protected].