Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Brian Bergstein, AP Technology Writer
Many job sites still let too much information from resumes posted online get into the hands of third parties through online "cookies" that monitor Web surfing, according to the report issued by prominent Internet watchdogs.
The report also faults self-service job application computers commonly used by chain stores. It says they almost always demand social security numbers and perform background checks on applicants without clearly stating who will see the information.
Pam Dixon, who led the investigation, urges job seekers to demand more privacy protections. She also wants the Federal Trade Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to look more closely at how job sites and recruitment services handle information.
"Technology is in such a place right now where it really is at odds with Title 7," the employment-discrimination section of the Civil Rights Act, Dixon said. "I don't want to see that eroded at all."
Dixon, formerly of the University of Denver's Privacy Foundation, is now head of her own group, the World Privacy Forum. Other participants in the investigation included the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
The report says that even people who don't hunt for jobs online should be aware that many resumes, no matter how they are submitted, are processed through vast databases.
For example, Eliyon Technologies Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., has a file of 16 million executives that it sells to headhunters, employers and companies seeking leads for sales pitches. Eliyon's Web site says its customers include IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc.
Eliyon's advanced software mines information about people from Web sites, press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and other public sources. Dixon said she was surprised at the level of detail in an Eliyon search about her sister. Though the sister is not a public figure, the names of her children and husband were listed.
Dixon alleged that Eliyon has no clear method for people to correct or remove erroneous data. That makes it "an end-run around the Fair Credit Reporting Act," which requires that consumers be able to examine adverse information maintained about them in commercial files, she said.
Eliyon executives told The Associated Press that Dixon's report was misleading because they will remove anyone from the database who asks. They said Eliyon will soon add a feature that will let people modify or delete their database entries themselves.
However, Jeremy Rothman-Shore, Eliyon's vice president of development, would not say how the feature would ensure that entries could be modified only by their subjects.
Dixon's report also questions the policies of FastWeb.com, a scholarship search service owned by Monster.com Inc., a leading job site. To help hone their searches, FastWeb asks users such optional personal questions as their race, sexual orientation and whether they have HIV.
FastWeb can give employers and recruiters its users' personal information only if they proactively "opt-in" and agree to its privacy policy. But Dixon said FastWeb should do more to make certain employers cannot see anyone's religious or medical information.
Steve Pogorzelski, president of Monster North America, said employers aren't interested in that kind of information. He called Dixon's allegations overblown.
"Our businesses depend on the trust of consumers, and we're not going to do anything to violate that," he said.
On the Net:
Dixon's report: www.jobsearchprivacy.org/wpfjobstudy.pdf
Eliyon Technologies: www.eliyon.com
FastWeb: www.fastweb.com
031111
AP031125
Copyright © 2003 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .