A private investigator is conducting skip tracing for a debt collection agency. The PI finds a public social media post indicating the subject is now employed at a specific company. Can the PI contact the subject's employer directly to confirm employment details?

1. The PI can contact the employer, but must be careful not to reveal the purpose of the inquiry (debt collection) and only seek publicly available or general directory information, or confirm publicly known facts. Revealing the sensitive purpose without consent would violate PIPEDA.
2. Yes, provided the PI identifies themselves as a licensed investigator
3. Yes, if the employer's contact information is publicly listed
4. No, contacting an employer without consent is always a violation of PIPEDA