OSINT use cases — what people and teams use Serus for

Use responsibly.

Serus is a powerful research tool, and with that comes responsibility. The information is publicly or lawfully available. What matters is the purpose you use it for. A few firm lines:

Acceptable use
01

No eligibility decisions

Never use Serus to decide someone's employment, housing, credit, or insurance. Those decisions fall under the FCRA and similar laws, and require a compliant, consented consumer-reporting process.

02

Have a permissible purpose

Search for a legitimate reason. Safety, fraud prevention, diligence, an investigation with a lawful basis. Not curiosity about an ex, a neighbor, or anyone you have no cause to look into.

03

Respect privacy law

The GDPR and other privacy regimes apply to how you collect and use personal data. Follow the rules that apply where you and your subject are located.

04

Never for harm

Stalking, harassment, and intimidation are illegal and against our terms. Serus exists to keep people and businesses safe. Not to put anyone at risk.

This page is a practical guide, not legal advice. Laws differ by jurisdiction. If you're unsure whether a use is permitted, consult qualified counsel before you proceed.

Frequently asked

Where does Serus get its data?

From publicly available and lawfully obtained sources across the surface web, public records, and dark-web datasets — the same material an investigator could find manually, cross-referenced and verified into one place in seconds instead of days.

Can I use Serus to decide whether to hire, rent to, or lend to someone?

No. Decisions covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and similar laws — employment, tenancy, credit, insurance eligibility — must go through a compliant consumer-reporting process with the person's consent. Serus is a research and intelligence tool for context and verification, not a consumer reporting agency.

Is using OSINT legal?

Working with publicly available information is legal in most places, but how you use it is governed by law — permissible purpose, privacy regulations like the GDPR, anti-stalking and anti-harassment laws, and sector rules. You're responsible for having a lawful basis for your searches.

Do the people I search get notified?

No. Serus surfaces information that is already publicly or lawfully available; it doesn't contact the subject of a search.

How is this different from just Googling someone?

Search engines return scattered pages you then have to connect by hand. Serus retrieves across many sources at once and cross-references identifiers — email, phone, username, name — into a single verified profile, with real-time retrieval and a low tolerance for false positives.

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