The Workplace Privacy Project

The World Privacy Forum's Workplace Privacy Project is a long term project to study and document privacy practices in the areas of job applicant privacy, workplace privacy, background checks, and related areas.

Job Seeker's Guide to Resume Databases: Twelve Resume Posting Truths.

This is a consumer tipsheet with information based on a year of research into resume databases and a year of research on job scams.

A Year in the Life of a Job Scam:  Pt. 1 of the WPF Job Scam Report

The first report looking at job scams from an evolutionary point of view over the course of a year.

The Evolution of a Job Scam: A Visual Timeline

A Timeline that reveals the geographic posting patterns and other details of how a job scam moved through the online job sites From July 2003 to July 2004; with documentation of how the job ads and job listings appeared.

Consumer Tips for Combating Job Scam

Research-based, simple tips based on actual scam behavior. Research based on payment-forwarding scams.

2003 Job Search Privacy Study

This study, a year in its research, documents job applicant privacy across the job search industry from resume writers to job search sites to resume blasters and other parts of the job search infrastructure.

Executive Summary 2003 Job Search Privacy Study

Job Application Kiosks: Why is there less privacy for retail job seekers?

The new trend of employers using "application kiosks" for accepting retail workers' job applications electronically is convenient for retailers, but not necessarily a boon for job seekers. In most situations where a store is using an application kiosk, for example, at Sports Authorities, some grocery store chains, and so on, Job seekers are forced to apply electronically or not at all. Unfortunately, applications kiosks at most stores do not have privacy policies, and in some cases do not provide meaningful consent with all portions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Download PDF.

Resume Database Nightmare: Report

This is the first report to substantiate and document actual resume theft and the outright selling of jobseeker resumes from databases.

Related: Invoice for sale of resumes PDF

Consumer Fraud Alert

This is a key consumer alert posted in December of 2003. It warns consumers of an online job scam to be aware of.

Consumer Guide to Job Search Privacy

This guide lists 50 + Web job search sites and gives information about the levels of their privacy for consumers. The guide is now in HTML format for easy use.

Background Checks

NALI presentation (Available upon request)

Monster Report: Click You're Hired or Tracked

This report was a year in its research. It was completed for the Privacy Foundation in 2001. It was the first report to look at online job applicant privacy. The study is located here.

FTC Letter

The World Privacy Forum requested the FTC to look at the online job searching industry and investigate its data privacy practices.