Private investigators -- what can and can't they do?

A friend and I were talking about private investigators the other day in the context of a mutual friend whose father-in-law had hired one to spy on him. It got me wondering what PIs really do in their investigations.

Presumably they talk to friends, family, and neighbours, etc. of the person being investigated. Do they have access to criminal records? Are there regulations on how they can represent themselves and how they can approach others and the kinds of questions they can ask?

Obviously, a shady PI would do whatever they wanted to do and say whatever was necessary to obtain the info they need. But what about a reputable PI (if that even exists -- I've never really looked into it)?

Can someone lay charges against a PI for invasion of privacy, slander, etc., or against the person who hired him/her?

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Google is your friend! I own a retail business and I turn to Truth Private Investigators in order to perform background checks on potential employees. You never know with the people who you call in to interview what kind of business they get themselves into and private investigator penrith is really good at uncovering many things these people probably want to be a secret, like issues with insurance/fraud.

thanks for sharing!