[Air-L] Privacy commissioner on employers use of online information ‘Dooced’ case

[Richard Forno]

I haven't read the actual law cited in the article, and of course IANAL, but I suspect this could be easily remedied by employers asking for the applicant's 'implied consent' in the job description and/or application instructions.   To wit:  "by applying to this position you agree to allow us to check publicly available social media, online forums, Google, blah blah blah as part of the candidate evaluation process."    (Heck I don't have a FB account, which has drawn question marks from background investigators and others over the years -- but hey, I enjoy being a statstical outlier in some things)

Not to mention there are any number of ways around this, of course -- both ethical and non.  So this might sound good on paper but is pretty much unenforceable in reality.

-- rick

---
Dr. Richard Forno
Senior Lecturer, CSEE
Director, Graduate Cybersecurity Program
Assistant Director, UMBC Center for Cybersecurity
UMBC Veterans Faculty Fellow 2016-18	


> On Jan 21, 2018, at 6:50 PM, Peter Timusk <peterotimusk at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> In my nonprofit volunteer work I would google finalist candidates for jobs. Apparently no longer allowed. Further to ‘just because it is public online’ does not mean you can make it Data.
> 
> CBC news article Canadian law
> 
> http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/social-media-hiring-public-bodies-1.4492935
> 
> 
> Peter Timusk
> peterotimusk at gmail.com
> I do not speak for my employer or charities or political parties or unions I volunteer with or belong to, unless otherwise noted.
> 
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