Internet background checks and employment discrimination risks in HR

¶ … HR Magazine (Vol. 52 no. 10, October 1, 2007), Rita Zeidner discusses the impact of Internet technology on Human Resources professionals as it relates to seeking employment, meaning that the information a potential employee places on websites like Facebook or MySpace may discourage possible employers from hiring such professionals, especially when the information provided on the website is unflattering or indicates some type of fraud perpetrated by a potential employee on his/her resume.

Nowadays, many employees are utilizing the Internet as a way of searching the backgrounds of potential employees, for as Zeidner points out, 15% of HR professional employees "check social networking sites like MySpace. . .to see what a job candidate has posted." However, there are some hidden risks associated with this practice, one being that some HR employers consider it to be unethical, irresponsible and perhaps even illegal, especially when a search of a site reveals information that a potential employee may wish to keep hidden from an employer (De Palma, 2009, p. 51). An additional hidden risk is related to consumer protection laws, whereby a potential employee might uncover sensitive information about an applicant's credit rating which could influence his/her hiring decision. There is also the danger of discrimination against a potential employee via uncovering a criminal history, a poor driving record, or other information which reveals an applicant's race, religious beliefs and marital status, all of which could led to a civil lawsuit against the employer by the employee. Zeidner also warns that online databases accessed by untrained employer screeners could result in locating out-of-date and incomplete data on a potential employee.