Balancing Safety with Consumer Privacy Rights
Tether RE criminal background checks filter out all financial data so that real estate professionals can make a decision whether or not to meet with a client based on safety indicators — not financial or credit-related indicators. Our filtering reflects the reasoning our legal team formed after reviewing federal, state, and industry sources.
Tether RE is not a consumer reporting agency (CRA). Tether Safe Identity Verification is for personal safety verification only and must not be used for housing qualification, tenant screening, credit, insurance, employment, or any other purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Our views only. This is not considered legal advice.
How We Filter Background Checks
This is our view of responsible filtering. We deliberately limit what data Tether Safe Identity Verification returns: our goal is that every inclusion serves real estate professional safety, and each exclusion reflects our reasoning after our legal team reviewed federal, state, and NAR® ethics sources. Linked sources are provided for your review only. This is not considered legal advice.
What We Include
Safety-relevant data only
- County-level search of public records
Does the person associated with this number have a history of violent crimes or criminal convictions? Are they a registered sex offender?
- Reverse phone lookup
Does the name align with the name given? Is this a burner phone? See associated emails, addresses, and contacts.
- Address verification
Use the address to confirm the people associated with it, helping combat listing fraud.
This is not considered legal advice.
What We Deliberately Exclude
Data we believe is not needed for safety
- Bankruptcies & financial records
In our view, financial data is not needed for safety and could raise fair housing concerns
HUD Fair Housing - Liens, judgments & foreclosures
We believe financial status is unrelated to safety, so we choose not to return it
DOJ Fair Housing - Asset information & property data
Our goal is to support the equal-service principles reflected in the NAR® Code of Ethics
NAR® Code of Ethics - Arrests without convictions
We believe an arrest alone is not proof of wrongdoing; several states address non-conviction records
EEOC Guidance - Credit information & income data
Excluded to keep our service focused on safety rather than consumer reporting or qualification
FTC FCRA
Sources That Informed Our Filtering
These are the frameworks our legal team reviewed to form our reasoning for filtering data. They reflect why we believe this matters — they are provided for your review only. This is not considered legal advice.
Federal Fair Housing Act
Addresses discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. Our team reviewed this framework and, in our view, financial data screening could raise disparate-impact questions.
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
Governs the use of consumer reports for permissible purposes. We reviewed this framework when deciding to keep Tether Safe Identity Verification focused on safety verification rather than consumer reporting.
NAR® Code of Ethics
Article 10 addresses equal professional services by real estate professionals regardless of protected characteristics. We believe excluding economic data supports these principles.
State Consumer Protection Laws
Many states have their own fair housing, criminal history, and privacy laws, some of which may go further than federal law. We summarize the sources we reviewed for each priority state.
State-by-State Compliance Resources
Each state has its own fair housing, background check, and consumer protection laws. Explore the state sources our legal team reviewed to form our reasoning for filtering data — provided for your review only, not as legal advice.