Ethics & Compliance
UserSearch is a professional research tool. This page sets out who may use it, the rules every customer accepts, and how we check that those rules are kept.
Our Ethical Framework
UserSearch brings third-party data sources and public sources into one platform for professional research. Every result is attributed to its source, so our customers can verify what they find before they rely on it.
The platform is provided for use in the course of a business, profession, public body or non-profit organisation: cyber security, fraud prevention, compliance and legal teams, journalists, researchers and law enforcement.
Core Principles
- Professional use only, by customers aged 18 or over
- A lawful reason for every search, and a record of it
- Results are leads, to be corroborated before they are relied on
- Every result shows the data source it came from
- We collect the minimum data needed to run and bill the service
Legal Compliance
UserSearch is operated by Analytix Labs Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 14275466. Three published documents set out how we, and our customers, must behave.
Data Protection
Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who receives it and how long we keep it. Our Data Processing Agreement covers the searches our customers run.
- Registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office
- Named suppliers and set retention periods
- Data minimisation by design
Rules of Use
Our Terms of Service set out what the platform may be used for. Every customer accepts them before using it.
- Access subject to vetting
- Account audits and activity reviews
- Suspension or closure of accounts that break the rules
Training and Community
We support responsible practice through free training, conference demonstrations and support for community events.
- Free webinars led by experienced practitioners
- Knowledge base guides on lawful, ethical research
- Sponsorship of non-profit OSINT events
What We Do
- Audit accounts, and ask customers how they use the platform
- Refuse or withdraw access where a user, an organisation, a country or a use is unsuitable
- Act on reports of misuse and, where appropriate, report them to the relevant authorities
- Apply UK, EU, UN and US sanctions to who may hold an account
- Review our terms and policies as the law and our data sources change
Our Ongoing Commitment
Open-source research, the law around it and the data sources behind it all change. We review our terms, our policies and the platform as they do.
We audit accounts and vet users throughout the life of an account, and customers must cooperate with those checks under our Terms of Service.
If you believe UserSearch is being misused, write to [email protected].
Permitted Use
UserSearch may be used only for a lawful professional purpose.
Every customer agrees to:
Important: breaking these rules can lead to immediate suspension or closure of the account and, where appropriate, a report to the relevant authorities. The full rules are in our Terms of Service.
Questions About Our Ethics & Compliance?
If you have a question about any of this, or want to report a concern, contact us.