Do non-criminal investigations require consent of the subjects?
<p>Besides <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_investigation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">criminal investigation</a>, there are other kinds of investigation: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigative_journalism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">journalism investigation</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance_investigator" rel="nofollow noreferrer">insurance investigation</a>, social worker investigation, etc. Due to the nature of investigation, sometimes the subjects shouldn't know that they are investigated, i.e. cannot give informed consent to allow investigation on them. Furthermore, the investigator may also need to lie or pretend to be a neutral person or even a trust one. They may even have to put secret recorder. I wonder what is the limit of them? How are they regulated? Should the government make specific laws for each occupation, and thus if you don't have a license to do such job, you are not allowed to investigate?</p>
<p>I live in Vietnam, if that matters.</p>

<p>Obviously this depends on the specific jurisdiction.</p>
<ul>
<li>Social workers tend to be government employees with specific rights and duties set down in the relevant laws and regulations.</li>
<li>Journalists tend to be freelancers or employees of news companies. They might have specific <em>protections</em> under freedom of the press laws, e.g. the right to protect their sources from official inquiries, but generally they have no investigative rights which ordinary people do not have as well. They go in public spaces, they observe, they ask questions, they draw conclusions. Depending on the jurisdiction, going &quot;undercover&quot; might open them to fraud charges.</li>
<li>Insurance investigators, and generally private detectives, are often subject to special laws and regulations, but again these laws often do not allow them things ordinary people cannot do. Private investigators might find it easier than other citizens to get a gun carry license.</li>
</ul>
<p>Start by reading the wikipedia article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_investigator#Across_the_world" rel="nofollow noreferrer">private investigators</a>.</p>

privacy consent investigation