THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2011
JOBS
PAGE 23
Employers have rights to all online info
BY SHAUNA BLACKMON
sblackmon@kansan.com
Most young people have no problem posting pictures or updates about their personal life, their views or complaints, but as they grow more sophisticated, Sara Clayton, assistant director of the University Career Center, warns so are employers.
More and more companies are using the Internet to gather additional information on applicants. They are not only searching for the bad — evidence of drug use, inappropriate remarks or pictures but also the good — information that reinforces qualifications or presence of a industry-related blog.
When employers search a candidate on the Internet, they may stumble across more than they were anticipating. Any sort of information regarding race, religion and sexual orientation can place a company in a dangerous area for discrimination.
Social Intelligence Corp. has used that legal gray area to provide information gathering services to companies.A team of researchers dig up everything and anything they can find on a person.
"The users of social media sites might argue that, because of the sites'
terms of use, employers have no legal right to uncover and take into account information that the users posted privately," said Mike Kautsch, professor of media law. "Also, various states have laws under which users of social media sites might argue that certain information about them online is protected and that prospective employers cannot lawfully acquire it and use it as a basis for hiring decisions."
Social Intelligence Corp. has pasted investigations into its practices by the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. A company that collects public information about a consumer and reports it to employers is subject to certain restrictions.
"For example, the collecting company must notify the consumer that it has given information to a prospective employer or must follow strict measures to make sure that the information gathered and given to a prospective employer is accurate and up to date," Kautsch said.
Social Intelligence Corp. only provides relevant information, like evidence of drug use, racist remarks, gratuitous display or weapons or sexually explicit materials. Social Intelligence Corp. doesn't share information that can be legally considered discrimina-
your hand is a big deal, some companies might. Even if you didn't post it things coming from friends can also come up and hurt your chances of getting a job.
tion, like if someone is a single parent or their political or religious views. The conflict found most often Drucker said, is racist remarks.
"Everyone knows that it's not a good idea to post inappropriate photos or videos, what a lot of people don't think about though is the text," Clayton said.
This is why it is increasingly important to monitor your social presence and use good judgment, Clayton said.
She suggests that even if you think your boss is an idiot, to keep it to
yourself. Don't post negative things relating to work or your professional life. The biggest problem students have with social media, Clayton said, is over-sharing. Not everyone needs to know everything. A good way to judge what is over sharing is to ask, "Would this offend my grandma?" If it does, it probably shouldn't go online."
There are also programs that scan your Facebook to give a better idea what questionable content is out there. Though you may not think that picture of you with a drink in