What is a background check and how to run one in HR under the LGPD

Every hire is a bet — until you verify who is on the other side. The background check is the step that turns that bet into an informed decision, confirming whether the candidate is who they claim to be and whether what is on the résumé holds up.

What is a background check

A background check is the structured verification of a person’s background: identity, documents, judicial history, restrictions and reputation. In HR, it is what reduces the risk of résumé fraud, of hiring a high-risk profile and of the costly turnover that follows a decision made without information.

Is it legal? What the LGPD says

Yes, verifying candidates and employees is legitimate — provided there is a legal basis, proportionality and an audit trail. The check must be limited to what is necessary and justifiable for the role, rely only on public or legally permitted sources and record the rationale, source and date of each result. Done this way, the background check protects the company on both flanks: from the risk of hiring without information and from the labor risk of deciding without criteria.

What to verify

• Identity and documents (tax ID, registration data);
• Background and lawsuits in the civil, criminal and labor spheres;
• Adverse media and digital reputation;
• Corporate ties, when the role requires it;
• Validation of what is on the résumé (education and experience).

Do not stop at hiring: KYE

A person’s risk is not static. That is why verifying at entry is not enough — the workforce must be reassessed periodically. This logic of continuous monitoring is KYE (Know Your Employee), which keeps the company safe throughout the entire employment relationship, not only on hiring day.

How to do it quickly

Manual checking, registry by registry, takes days and stalls recruiting. Kavuka automates the background check and KYE: the AI scans more than 450 sources in real time, queries Brazil’s courts of justice and returns a dossier with a risk classification in minutes — including in bulk, by spreadsheet, to reassess entire teams.

Hiring safely does not mean giving up compliance — quite the opposite. It means deciding quickly in favor of the good candidate and keeping a documented barrier against the high-risk profile.