Last week, a lawsuit was filed against social media giant Linkedin at the California Federal Court for allegedly selling the work history of its users to potential employers without their consent.
According to the lawsuit, Linkedin’s job reference tool allows potential employers with paid premium accounts to anonymously check the employment history of applicants. But without the knowledge of the users, these employers may be making an assessment on potentially inaccurate information.
The lawsuit stated that “(A)ny potential employer can anonymously dig into the employment history of any LinkedIn member, and make hiring and firing decisions based upon the information they gather, without the knowledge of the member, and without any safeguards in place as to the accuracy of the information that the potential employer has obtained.”
This could be in violation of the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) which requires any potential employers to follow certain specific procedures when obtaining information on job applicants. It requires that employers inform applicants if a certain consumer reports was cited, when and if they are denied employment.
Lawyers state the FCRA “was enacted to promote accuracy, fairness, and the privacy of personal information.”
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