Before the emergence of the internet, the only people who had easy access to personal information databases were licensed private investigators, police detectives, and the federal government. The internet has changed all that. Today, if you want to research someone, you can do it yourself from the comfort of your own home, and for a fraction of the cost of hiring a live private investigator. If you want to check someone out, you may be able to find out if they've ever declared bankruptcy, gotten married, filed for divorce, been arrested or sued. You may be able to find out what kinds of houses, boats, and cars they own, and what kind of credit card debts they have.