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Public Comments: February 2005 Comments on NHIN Request for Information

The World Privacy Forum and the Electronic Frontier Foundation submitted comments in response to the U.S. government's "Request for Information" about its plan to digitize all patient medical records and create an electronic "National Health Information Network" or NHIN. The comments urge caution in designing the NHIN and call for the government to build privacy, security, and open source technologies into the system from the beginning of the project.

World Privacy Forum Testifies about Federal ID Card

Workplace Surveillance and Privacy -- The World Privacy Forum testified on January 19 regarding the need to build reasonable privacy and security protections into the proposed "smart" Federal ID cards. The testimony included recommendations on making the mandated employee background checks equitable, careful implementation of the Privacy Act, and conducting a Privacy Impact Assessment. Other key issues included setting limits on card use and protecting the mandated source documents, such as birth certificates, that will be required to obtain a card.

Consumer Tips: Resume Database Information

In any job search, it is undeniably important to circulate a resume. However, job seekers need to carefully minimize privacy issues related to resumes while still maintaining appropriate exposure to employers. It is important for all job seekers to understand that resume databases vary widely in privacy practices and controls. Learning to choose a quality job search site and resume database with good privacy practices has become an important part of your job search if you plan to use the Internet as a job search tool. Another key skill is to discriminate between valid job search related email and unhelpful solicitations for your resume.

Public Comments: June 2004 - Response from the State of California, Office of the Attorney General regarding Goggle's Gmail Service

California AG Bill Lockyer has sent a letter to EPIC, PRC, and WPF regarding Gmail and California's two-way consent requirement in its wiretapping laws. Lockyer wrote in a response dated June 4: "The potential exposure of Gmail users to liability for violation of Penal Code section 631 is of particular concern, as are the rights of those who are not subscribers to Gmail but who send e-mail to those who are."

Public Comments: April 2004 - Communications privacy

31 Privacy and Civil Liberties Organizations Urge Google to Suspend Gmail and Address Privacy Concerns.. -- Thirty one privacy and civil liberties organizations have signed a letter urging Google to suspend its Gmail service until the privacy issues are adequately addressed. The letter also requests that Google clarify its written information policies regarding data retention and data sharing among its business units.

2003 Job Search Privacy Study: Executive Summary

Roadmap: 2003 Job Search Privacy Study - Job Searching in the Networked Environment: Consumer Privacy Benchmarks: I. Executive Summary Job seekers, when applying for a job using electronic formats, experience less privacy and freedom than they do in non-electronic formats. In a mere decade, job searching has evolved from primarily a paper and file-cabinet affair to an arena that is nearly completely digitized. Resumes, no matter what the originating form — fax, email, or paper — are now scanned, sorted, shuffled, stored and datamined in a bewildering assortment of ways. This changed applicant process has, overall, not had a beneficial effect on the job seeker.

2003 Job Search Privacy Study: Principles of Fair Information Practices

The premise of this report and the analysis of site practices and issues in this report is based upon the canon of Fair Information Practices, particularly as expressed in the eight principles of Fair Information Practices outlined in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 1980 Guidelines. [5] These guidelines form the basis of most modern international privacy agreements and national laws. The principles were agreed upon by member countries, including the United States. These principles and guidelines are referred to throughout the report either as the principles of Fair Information Practices, or as the OECD guidelines.

2003 Job Search Privacy Study: Employment Application Kiosks and Sites

Employment kiosks – small, mobile ATM-like booths – are increasingly being used for screening job applicants. The booths are typically located in malls and at the front sections of retail stores. The booths allow job candidates to pull up a chair, answer a series of detailed questions, and apply for work in about an hour. No muss, no fuss, and no resumes are needed to apply.

2003 Job Search Privacy Study: Privacy Practices at Resume Writing Services

Resume writing services exist to help jobseekers create a portrait of their skills and work experience that is compelling enough to land the job seekers interviews for desirable positions. These types of businesses tend to be small one to 35- person operations. Data privacy has arrived in this corner of the job search universe; resumes containing rich data such as work history, name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and educational history are prime treasures in the data business. [44]

2003 Job Search Privacy Study: Suggestions for Employers and Career Counselors

Employers are an important part of the data privacy solution. As the controller of job ads, employers have a great deal of say in how those ads are managed and displayed to applicants. For their part, college career counselors, as a critical part of the interface in a student’s first professional job search, have a key educational role in the process.

Resume Database Nightmare: Introduction

Pam Dixon, during the course of researching a separate study of resume databases, has discovered serious consumer privacy issues in resume databases that rise to the level of deserving immediate consumer notice. This report, below, highlights her findings. The report itself is comprised of a consumer notice, which is based primarily on public documents. The report also contains policy recommendations and job seeker tips.

Resume Database Nightmare: "Resume Sale" at HotResumes.com

According to legal documents, HotResumes.com sold 4,941 resumes and/or email addresses to Biotechcareers.com for .33 cents each in a sale that was invoiced on November 30, 2002. This invoice was made public and was published as part of a lawsuit against Mr. Monastra ( Medzilla vs. Optimum Intelligence et al .) [10]. The invoice was noted as a "resume sale" and it was marked as paid. A copy of the invoice is in Appendix A.

Resume Database Nightmare: Biotech and Pharmaceutical Resume Database Privacy Issue

In July, 2002, Dr. Frank Heasley, the owner of Medzilla.com, a biotechnology job site, became aware that Jason Monastra, who was at the time a recruiter and the owner of Optimum Intelligence, was making a large number of resume downloads from the Medzilla resume database. Dr. Heasley quickly discovered that Jason Monastra was also the owner of a new job search site called Biotechcareers.com and had downloaded approximately 2,400 resumes from the Medzilla database within the space of several weeks [14].

Resume Database Nightmare: Recommendations to Job Seekers

In any job search, it is undeniably important to circulate a resume. However, job seekers need to carefully minimize privacy issues related to resumes while still maintaining appropriate exposure to employers. It is important for all job seekers to understand that resume databases vary widely in privacy practices and controls. Learning to choose a quality job search site and resume database with good privacy practices has become an important part of your job search if you plan to use the Internet as a job search tool.