"absolutely no way the ref calls that a foul, what a joke, [expletive] unbelievable"
Why flaggedMatched the profanity category. Reposted with a clip of a televised match.
Social media screening
Some risks never make it into a criminal record.
A criminal record check shows what a court recorded. A reference shows what a former manager will say out loud. Social media screening shows the behaviour that became neither, in the candidate's own public posts across 7 platforms, sorted into 11 behaviour categories with the original post attached. Results in 1 to 2 business days.
Pay per check. No subscription. Available across Canada except Québec.
- 1 to 2 daysTypical turnaround
- 7 platformsSearched every time
- 11 categoriesBehaviour flags
- Add to any checkNo minimum, no contract
Social media screening
SMS-2291
Sarah Connor
Requested by M. Dyson, Cyberdyne Systems
Complete
Profiles matched
4 of 7 platforms
Confirmed
Posts reviewed
Public content only
418
Flagged posts
Across 2 of 11 categories
3
1 profile private, not analysed
Returned in 1 day
A flag is a prompt
The report shows you the post. You decide whether it matters.
See what is public. Nothing else.
Social media screening has a reputation problem, and most of it comes from people imagining something far broader than what actually happens. Here is the real scope.
What it looks at
- Publicly visible posts and profiles
- Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest
- Profile bios, follower counts, post counts
- Content matched to 11 defined behaviour categories
What it never touches
- Private accounts. If a profile is private, it is listed and marked, and no posts are analysed.
- Direct messages, DMs, or private chats
- Browsing history, search history, or anything on a device
- Email, phone records, or messages
- Accounts that could not be matched to the candidate with confidence
There is no back door
If a post was not visible to the public, it is not in the report. There is no scraping of locked accounts.
A report you can actually act on
Five parts, in the order you read them. Everything below is drawn as an illustration, built with sample data.
Part 1
Overview
A plain summary of the candidate's footprint. How active they are, when they last posted and where, whether the flagged post count is above or below average, and how sentiment has trended.
Overview
SMS-2291
418
Public posts reviewed
3
Flagged, below average
4 / 7
Platforms matched
Most active onInstagram, 214 posts
Last posted3 days ago, LinkedIn
Sentiment trendStable, mostly positive
Part 2
Profiles matched
Every profile confirmed as belonging to the candidate, with the identifiers used to make the match. Platforms searched with no match found are listed too, so you can see what was covered rather than guessing. The panel itself is further down, under Matching the right person.
Part 3
Behaviour composition
A count of posts flagged against each of the 11 categories. Most reports show a flat chart, and that tells you something.
Behaviour composition
Part 4
Word cloud and sentiment
The topics the candidate posts about most, coloured by whether they speak about them positively or negatively.
Part 5
Flagged posts
The actual post, the date, the platform, and the category it triggered. You read the post and decide. The report does not decide for you.
Profanity
Instagram · 14 Feb 2026
A clean report is a result
Most candidates have nothing flagged. That is the normal outcome, and it is worth paying for.
A clean social media report tells you that you looked, that you looked consistently, and that you have a dated record of what was and was not found. If a problem surfaces after the hire, the difference between having run the check and not having run it is the difference between a defensible process and a gap.
The report is also explicit when there is not enough to analyse. If a candidate barely posts, it says so rather than padding the file with inference.
Two honest outcomes
Nothing flagged
418 public posts reviewed, 0 matched any category. Dated, recorded, done.
Insufficient data
1 profile matched, 6 public posts. Too little to analyse, and the report says so instead of guessing.
What gets flagged
Every matched post is assessed against the same 11 categories. The same standard applies to every candidate, which is what makes results comparable across your pipeline.
Disparaging
Drug image
Drug or alcohol mention
Gory or violent image
Nudity image
Prejudice
Profanity
Rude gestures and symbols
Suggestive content
Threats
Weapons image
A flag is a prompt to look, not a verdict. Profanity in a repost of a comedy clip is not the same as a threat directed at a named person. The report shows you the post so you can tell the difference.
Matching the right person
The hardest part of social media screening is not finding posts. It is being certain the account belongs to your candidate and not to someone with the same name.
Profiles are matched using up to 12 identifier types, including unique name, full name, location, employer, high school, college, username, phone, email, and image match. Every matched profile in the report shows which identifiers were used, so you can see the strength of the match rather than taking it on trust.
A profile is only included when the match clears a 70 percent confidence threshold. Platforms searched without a confident match are listed as searched with no profile found. Private profiles are listed and marked, and their posts are not analysed.
Candidates can supply their own profiles when they complete the check. It is not required, and matching runs either way, but a candidate who provides their handles gets a more accurate report and fewer questions about accounts that are not theirs.
Profiles matched
Instagram
94% match
Matched on username, full name, location, employer, image match
LinkedIn
97% match
Matched on full name, employer, college, location
Facebook
Private
Profile located and marked private. No posts analysed.
TikTok, Reddit, Pinterest
Searched
No profile found above the 70% confidence threshold.
What to do with a flag
Social media screening carries more legal and ethical risk than any other check. Public posts routinely reveal information you are not permitted to hire on, and the report does not filter that out for you. A workable process looks like this.
1
Read the post, not just the label
The category is a filter. The content is the evidence.
2
Ask whether it is relevant to the role
A flag that has nothing to do with the job is not a hiring reason. The results explainer walks through the same judgement on a criminal record.
3
Set aside what you cannot consider
Public posts reveal age, religion, family status, ethnicity, health, and political views. None of it belongs in a hiring decision, and seeing it does not permit acting on it.
4
Write down your reasoning
A short note on why a flag did or did not matter is what makes the decision defensible later.
5
Apply the same standard to every candidate
Screening some applicants and not others is where most legal exposure comes from.
This page is not legal advice
Human rights legislation across Canadian jurisdictions restricts what employers can consider. If you are writing a screening policy, have your own counsel review it.
Where this check runs
Social media screening is available across Canada, except in Québec.
Québec's privacy legislation sets a higher bar for collecting personal information than the rest of the country, and social media screening does not meet it. Rather than offer a check that puts a client at risk, we do not run it there. If you are hiring in Québec, the rest of the catalogue is available and a criminal record check, reference check, or public records search will usually cover the underlying concern.
How we store and handle what comes back is set out in our data handling commitments.
At a glance
Canada, outside Québec
Available
Québec
Not offered
Three steps
1
Add the check
Choose social media screening on its own or alongside any other check. No setup fee, no minimum, no contract.
2
The candidate consents
They receive a secure link and give consent. They can add their own profiles, which improves accuracy, though matching runs either way. Consent is recorded and timestamped.
3
The report arrives
Typically 1 to 2 business days. You get the full report in your dashboard.
Questions
What is and is not in scope
Can you see private accounts?
No. If a profile is set to private it appears in the report as private, and none of its posts are analysed. There is no method for accessing locked accounts.
Do you look at direct messages?
No. DMs, private chats, and anything not publicly visible are outside the scope entirely.
Does this check my search history or browsing?
No. Social media screening looks at public posts on public platforms. It has no access to a browser, a device, or any search history. No screening provider in Canada has that access.
Which platforms are searched?
Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Pinterest. Platforms where no confident match was found are listed in the report so you can see what was covered.
Accuracy and the right person
Do candidates have to hand over their profiles?
No. Candidates are invited to add their profiles and it produces a more accurate report, but it is optional. Matching runs either way.
What if the candidate barely uses social media?
The report says so. It reports insufficient data rather than drawing conclusions from a handful of posts.
Can a post be flagged that belongs to someone else?
Profiles must clear a 70 percent confidence threshold and the report shows which identifiers produced each match. If a match looks wrong, you can see why it was made and weigh it accordingly. This is also why the report shows you the post rather than only a score.
Running the check
How long does it take?
Typically 1 to 2 business days after the candidate completes their portion.
Is this available in Québec?
No. Québec privacy law sets a higher bar for collecting personal information, and this check does not meet it.
Does a flag mean I should not hire someone?
No. A flag means a post matched a category. Whether it matters depends on the content, the role, and your own written policy. Read the post before drawing a conclusion.
Do candidates know this is happening?
Yes. Candidates consent before the check runs.
Screen what is public. Leave the rest alone.
Pay per check, no subscription, no minimum. Add social media screening on its own or alongside any other check.