Gumshoes, Too, Are Drowning in Data

Private eyes, that is, the gumshoe variety stereotypically clad in trench coats and a fedora, are experiencing their own unique set of problems adapting to the Era of Big Data and what the “private investigation industry” (who know there was one?) considers overly restrictive privacy laws.

It’s an example of having a bad time dealing with a good problem: Too much hidden data buried in public records is making it harder to find clues needed to crack a case, collect a debt or track down a bail jumper.

A survey of more than 1,600 private investigators by a data tool vendor found that six in 10 cannot seem to manage growing data volumes contained in public records ranging from mailing addresses, liens, court judgments, phone numbers, assets and other grist of the PI trade.

Sixty percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that data volumes are unmanageable and that better data aggregation tools are needed.

It just so happens the company that commissioned the survey, credit and information management vendor TransUnion, has such a tool. The Chicago-based company’s TLXop platform is promoted as helping manage and sift through public records to make it easier for users like private eyes connect the dots.

Along with data management, respondents ranked “skip tracing” tools high on their list of indispensible investigative tools. Skip tracing is used primarily to track down missing persons, usually debtors and other fugitives. Half of respondents said if they could invest in only one data tool, they would pick skip-tracing software.

TransUnion’s strategy has been to combine skip tracing and data management tools that allow for customized searches needed to link structured and unstructured data, the company said.

As the regulatory backlash against data brokers and identity thieves grows along with concerns about data breaches, private investigators may be one of the biggest losers as more states approve data privacy laws and regulations. An overwhelming 91 percent of survey respondents said privacy laws are hurting the detective trade.

Still, those concerns could help open up a whole new line of business for the nation’s private eyes. While only 30 percent of respondents said they offer identity theft services, the survey went on to note: “As companies and consumers experience the impact of data breaches, identity theft may see a larger presence in private investigators’ portfolios in 2015.”

And there appears to be growing market for such tools among those working the back alleys of life’s seamier side, including bail agents trying to track down fugitives and process servers showing up unexpectedly with divorce papers.

Just the same, it’s hard to imagine Hollywood tough-guy private eyes like Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade tracking down the Maltese Falcon with the help of what TransUnion pitches as its “online database of public and proprietary records… providing information about people, businesses, assets, and locations.”

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