Googling job candidates "could be illegal"

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 27 Nov 2007 at 11:55

Companies that use the web to dig up information about prospective employees could be breaking the law, an internet safety expert has warned.

John Carr, chairman of the UK Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety, told says that screening candidates in this way could breach data protection laws designed to prevent private information being used without permission.

"There are lots of rumours about young job applicants being screened on Google or even university tutors looking at people applying for further education," Carr claims in The Guardian. "If that really is happening, then it could be illegal - when the kids are posting a picture of a party, they are only doing it to let their mates look. They are not doing it for an application form."

But the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) disagrees, particularly if the information is posted on a social networking site such as Facebook. A spokeswoman claims that "would not be a breach of data protection".

Last week the ICO warned users of such sites not to post content that they may later regret making public. "Many people are posting content on social networking sites without thinking about the electronic footprint they leave behind," a spokesman said.