THE SIMPLIVERIFIED SCREENING BRIEF
October 2026 | Industry developments. Practical guidance. Confident hiring.
In this edition: PBSA 2026, candidate identity fraud, changing criminal-record rules, and preparations for 2027.
Your hiring team needs reliable information, clear answers, and a screening process that keeps moving. Keeping that process effective also means understanding what is changing—and which changes deserve your attention.
SimpliVerified was represented at the 2026 Professional Background Screening Association Annual Conference, held September 27–29 in Arlington, Texas. Below, we connect the conference’s published agenda with current developments and practical steps for your organization.
PBSA reports that this year’s conference brought together 869 participants and offered 41 sessions. Its published program addressed issues that directly affect employers: artificial intelligence, employment-screening litigation, record accuracy, dispute handling, and the everyday execution of screening policies. PBSA conference recap · Conference program
Three topics in the program are especially relevant to customers:
Our perspective at SimpliVerified is straightforward: useful technology should support dependable research, clear communication, and accountable decisions. Employers should be able to understand their screening results and reach someone who can help when a question arises.
A July 31 multinational government advisory warned that North Korean IT workers continue to obtain remote work through false identities, altered documents, and third-party proxies, with AI helping conceal their identities. A September 18 FBI and Japanese National Police Agency advisory provided additional findings on related activity. These are documented schemes with direct implications for remote hiring and contractor onboarding. July advisory (PDF) · FBI September advisory listing
A practical step: Review how your organization connects the person interviewed, the identity submitted for screening, and the person receiving equipment and system access. HR, recruiting, and IT should have a clear way to resolve inconsistencies before access is granted.
Apply verification procedures consistently, protect candidate information, and give applicants a reasonable opportunity to explain discrepancies. A discrepancy calls for review; it does not, by itself, establish fraud.
Two developments this year illustrate why screening policies need attention at both the state and local levels:
A practical step: Review your screening packages and hiring criteria together. Information appearing in an older report does not establish that it remains reportable or appropriate to consider today. For employers hiring across locations, confirm that local requirements are reflected in recruiter instructions, notices, and decision workflows.
Colorado enacted a revised automated decision-making law in May 2026, with new requirements beginning January 1, 2027. It addresses covered technology that materially influences consequential decisions, including employment decisions, and includes provisions concerning notices, data correction, and human review. Applicability and exemptions require attention; the same obligations do not necessarily apply to every tool or screening activity. Colorado’s enacted-law summary
The Colorado Attorney General’s rulemaking process is underway, with written comments currently scheduled through October 26, 2026. Rulemaking information
A practical step: Inventory the tools that rank applicants, generate recommendations, or influence employment decisions. Ask vendors what those tools do, what information they use, and how a person can review or correct an outcome. Have counsel assess which requirements apply to your organization.
Amid new technology and changing laws, the fundamentals still deserve attention. When an employment decision is based on a third-party background report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires steps before and after adverse action. These include providing the report and the FCRA Summary of Rights before the final decision, allowing an opportunity to review and respond, and providing the required notice if adverse action is taken. State and local rules can add requirements. FTC employer guidance
Walk through your actual workflow with the people who use it. Confirm who reviews potential concerns, how candidate responses reach the decision-maker, and whether automated steps allow the required review to occur.
You do not need to revisit your entire screening program at once. Start with one area: identity verification, location-specific requirements, or the handoff between a completed report and a hiring decision.
Your SimpliVerified team can help you review your current screening services, understand available options, and identify questions to address with your internal team and counsel.
Reply to your SimpliVerified representative to start the conversation.
Thank you for trusting us with an important part of your hiring process.
The SimpliVerified Team
Information current as of October 5, 2026. This newsletter provides general educational information, not legal advice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and circumstances.