curiously, the US mainstream media hasn't reported this story ...
from
(snip)"How anything you've EVER said on the internet could be seen by employers as Feds approve firm that dishes dirt on applicants
Company keeps information on its records for SEVEN YEARS
Uses special software to track down applicants' online pseudonyms
Means social media postings will become regular part of job application process
Government rules company doesn't breach regulations
By Fiona Roberts
The Federal Trade Commission has approved a controversial firm which scours social media sites to check on job applicants. It means anything you've ever said in public on sites including Facebook, Twitter and even Craigslist could be seen by your would-be employer. The Washington-based commission has ruled the firm, Social Intelligence Corporation, complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act - even though it keeps the results of its searches on file for seven years.
It raises the frightening prospect of any social media posting, even it's years old or was meant as a joke, being used in background checks. Applicants who use online pseudonyms aren't safe, either - the firm uses special software to link those nicknames with real, offline names known to employers.
One applicant found himself out of the running for a job after being branded racist because he once joined a Facebook group called 'I shouldn't have to press one for English. We are in the United States. Learn the language.' Social Intelligence Corp scours everything from social networking sites, such as Facebook, to video and picture sharing websites as well as blogs and wikis.(snip)
(snip)Its chief operating officer, Geoffrey Andrews, said: 'We are not... building a “database” on individuals that will be evaluated each time they apply for a job and potentially could be used adversely even if they have cleaned up their profiles.'
One of the reports, released to Forbes magazine, flagged an applicant for 'demonstrating potentially violent behaviour' because he'd posted a photograph of him holding a gun on his Facebook account. Another was flagged for 'illegal activity' after putting an advert on Craigslist searching for the drug Oxycontin. So far the company says it has found 'negative' online postings in up to 20 per cent of applicants it's been asked to investigate. (snip)
(snip)"The reports only take into account 'job-threatening' characteristics - such as criminal activity - and does not include personal information, such as sexuality or religion, which an employee legally cannot see.
Applicants can also dispute the report's findings, and the offending record will be deleted if it is found to be incorrect. Mr Andrews told Forbes: 'I like to think we are providing a service not just by screening for employers, but in helping to protect job applicants by creating a standard process for online background checks and a service that presents them with reports on negative material.' (snip)



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