Submission + - LinkedIN Reference Search is legal, but it shouldn't be. (google.com)
ciscoguy01 writes: LinkedIN has a paid product "Reference Search" which allows subscribers to search to find someone who worked at a company at the same time as another person, with the idea that you might be able to get a reference from someone it finds.
Tracee Sweet applied for a job, got an offer, then when the employer used the Reference Search to check her out with previous co-workers rescinded the offer.
She sued LinkedIN saying that the LinkedIN product should fall under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) and she should have had the right to review and challenge information there as if it were a credit report. She lost in court last week.
The issue here is this: Anyone can create any number of LinkedIN accounts, can put any employment history in that account, this is not verified by anyone.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects consumers from information that may affect credit decisions, employment decisions and more when compiled by a credit reporting agency. Which today LinkedIN is not. But should they be?
Nothing would stop anyone from creating as many accounts on LinkedIN as they want with completely fabricated information in it, for the purpose of having the references there returned by the LinkedIN paid subscriber "Reference Search" Tool.
At the moment LinkedIn Reference Search is legal. But since it can easily contain wholly unverified and possibly forged or otherwise fake information, should it be? Shouldn't someone be responsible for information about *YOU* contained in a database and then being sold for profit?
Tracee Sweet applied for a job, got an offer, then when the employer used the Reference Search to check her out with previous co-workers rescinded the offer.
She sued LinkedIN saying that the LinkedIN product should fall under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) and she should have had the right to review and challenge information there as if it were a credit report. She lost in court last week.
The issue here is this: Anyone can create any number of LinkedIN accounts, can put any employment history in that account, this is not verified by anyone.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects consumers from information that may affect credit decisions, employment decisions and more when compiled by a credit reporting agency. Which today LinkedIN is not. But should they be?
Nothing would stop anyone from creating as many accounts on LinkedIN as they want with completely fabricated information in it, for the purpose of having the references there returned by the LinkedIN paid subscriber "Reference Search" Tool.
At the moment LinkedIn Reference Search is legal. But since it can easily contain wholly unverified and possibly forged or otherwise fake information, should it be? Shouldn't someone be responsible for information about *YOU* contained in a database and then being sold for profit?
