Guide

Why a name-only match is not a finding: identity corroboration in candidate research

The problem: common names, namesakes, reused handles

Many people share a legal name. Display names and social handles are reused. A search that stops at the name will mix those people together. In a hiring file, that mix is unfair: the wrong person's posts or news can be read as if they belonged to the candidate.

For HR teams, recruiters and hiring managers; each dossier is employer-ordered. The job is to document the consented subject's public footprint, not everyone who shares the name.

What a second identifier is

CordPrism correlates employer-supplied seeds (work email, LinkedIn or other profile URL, GitHub handle) with public profiles. Those seeds are optional on the order form — they improve the investigation, but are not required. A seed the employer supplied, such as a work email, a LinkedIn or other profile URL, or a GitHub handle, can help corroborate a public profile. A name on its own cannot.

Generic pattern, with no real people: two public GitHub users share a common legal name; only one of them uses the work email the employer supplied as a seed. The other remains a collision, not a finding, until a second identifier corroborates them.

How unresolved matches are reported

Name-only matches are treated as collisions, not findings, until a second identifier corroborates them. Uncorroborated name hits stay collisions; they are not reported as findings. Limitations and non-findings stay visible so the hiring team can see what was checked and what was not confirmed.

CordPrism reviews publicly available sources only; channels behind a login wall are skipped. We do not claim complete coverage, people-enrichment bureau data or court records.

Why non-findings belong in the file

A dated dossier you can file, not an alert feed. If a name collision is omitted, later readers cannot tell whether it was reviewed. Keeping collisions and limitations visible is how the record stays honest. A practical suggestion for what your hiring team or counsel should verify. CordPrism does not decide.

Before any run the employer must complete the consent attestation and confirm the dossier is employer-ordered and purpose-limited; we may refuse requests (spam, abuse, missing consent, or lack of relevance).

This page is not legal advice. Check with your own counsel or DPO.