Broadly speaking, a background check is a way of investigating a person's personality and history, utilizing public information sources and documents. Pretty much all background checks are done by using repositories controlled by the authorities and private organizations who compile that information for easy use. Typically, the information included on a background check is going to incorporate the persons: Age, Aliases, Birth date, Family members, crimes committed, arrests, marriage and divorce reports, personal bankruptcy, civil reports and judgments, traffic tickets, social media material, and online presence.