GREEN
Work can proceed within the defined scope and stated controls.
Regulatory control
International reach. Matter-specific jurisdictional control.
Aperture does not assume that a research service is lawful merely because the information is public or the work can be performed remotely. Every proposed matter is screened for the rules that may apply to the client, subject, purpose, data, jurisdiction and activity before acceptance.
Important: This page describes Aperture's acceptance controls. It is not a claim that every service is available in every jurisdiction, and it is not a legal opinion or compliance certification.
The acceptance gate
Before work begins, Aperture may approve, narrow, defer, decline or require specialist confirmation of a proposed matter. The review can include licensing, sanctions, privacy, data protection, consumer-reporting rules, professional regulation, cross-border transfers, conflicts, evidence access and practical feasibility.
ORANGE
Work may proceed only after a specific legal, licensing, privacy, data or specialist condition is resolved.
RED
Aperture does not accept the activity in the proposed form.
Controls that can be triggered
South African private-investigation / security regulation
Person-specific, background, leadership, counterparty and investigative work is not treated as automatically unregulated simply because it uses public sources. Where South African private-investigator or security-service regulation may apply, Aperture requires the applicable authority or legal position to be confirmed before proceeding.
United States state licensing
Private-investigation and related licensing rules vary by state. A U.S. matter can therefore require a state-specific licensing review before any regulated investigative activity is accepted.
FCRA and regulated screening
Employment, credit, insurance, consumer-reporting and other regulated eligibility decisions are not accepted through the ordinary research route. A separate legal and regulatory review is required before Aperture undertakes work that could constitute regulated consumer reporting or background screening.
Cross-border data
Where South African personal information is processed or transferred across borders, Aperture evaluates the lawful basis, purpose, minimisation, security, recipient, onward transfer, retention and contractual safeguards required for the intended data flow.
Sensitive and special personal information
Health, biometric, criminal-history, identity-document, immigration, employment, financial and similarly sensitive material requires heightened review. Do not send such material through the initial enquiry form or first WhatsApp message.
Sanctions and restricted parties
International, government-facing and cross-border matters may require sanctions, restricted-party, export-control and payment-risk screening before acceptance or payment.
Anti-bribery and public-sector risk
Government-facing opportunities, intermediaries and referral arrangements may require anti-bribery, anti-corruption and third-party-risk controls before engagement.
Legal, immigration, medical and other reserved advice
Aperture supplies evidence research and factual analysis. It does not replace lawyers, immigration practitioners, auditors, regulated investment advisers, medical professionals or other licensed specialists where their determination is required.
Cross-border data handling
Where two organisations exchange personal information, the allocation of controller/responsible-party and processor/operator responsibilities must be clear. Appropriate written terms may be required for processing, confidentiality, security, incident notification, retention, deletion, subprocessors, onward transfers and data-subject requests.
Initial enquiries deliberately exclude sensitive evidence
The first enquiry is for fit, purpose and jurisdiction screening. It is not a secure evidence-drop. Aperture will confirm an appropriate transfer route after acceptance where documents or sensitive material are necessary.
Person-specific and employment-related work
Aperture does not make hiring, rejection, promotion, retention, credit, insurance or similar eligibility decisions. Where a requested factual review could enter a regulated screening regime, the ordinary service route stops until the legal and regulatory position is confirmed.
Direct marketing and channel relationships
Outreach, referrals and commission arrangements remain subject to the rules applicable to the sender, recipient, jurisdiction and communication. Material financial relationships must be disclosed where required. Channel participation never gives a partner authority to alter Aperture findings, promise outcomes or bind Aperture to a scope or price.
Governing rule: Certain investigative, screening and person-specific matters are accepted only after applicable licensing and regulatory authority has been confirmed. Aperture does not undertake regulated activity merely because the information may be publicly available.
What this means for a client
You can still bring Aperture a difficult question. The first step is to identify the decision, purpose, countries, relevant U.S. state if any, whether an identifiable private person is involved, whether the work may be used for employment or another regulated eligibility decision, and whether sensitive data is expected. Aperture then determines the lawful and proportionate route before substantive work begins.