Violated Online | Job Screening, Privacy Settings and the Internet

Posted: June 30, 2011 in violated online
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“I know, I know—all of that detail regarding privacy settings on Facebook is such a hassle,” acknowledges Steven Wyer of Reputation Advocate and author of Violated Online (Dunham Books: September 2011). He says that you may even ask yourself “why bother?” but that there is a very good reason to sober up and think again.

According to the Violated Online author, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has given the thumbs up to Social Intelligence Corp., which keeps files of Facebook users’ posts as part of a background-checking service for screening job applicants. STOP. Re-read this again! If you are still not using any of the privacy settings available on your Facebook account, there is an absolute reason to reconsider.

“We didn’t even have room to cover this in Violated Online,” says Wyer. So who is this “Social Intelligence” and what are they doing with your Facebook content? According to their spokesman here is what they say:

Data is archived purely for compliance reasons and not used for any other purposes. This is to provide a verifiable chain-of-custody in case the information is ever needed for legal reasons. Archived data is never used for new screens.

Wyer remains skeptical. If there were ever an opportunity for information to be abused this is it, says the Violated Online ambassador. Here is more of the statement:

As per our policies and obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the only information we collect on job applicants is employer defined criteria that is legally allowable in the hiring process. Examples of this include racist remarks, sexually explicit photos or videos, or illegal activity such as drug use.

The Violated Online author asks, “Anyone see the potential for an online violation here?”

We are not building a database on individuals that will be evaluated each time they apply for a job and potentially could be used adversely even if they have cleaned up their profiles. It is important for job applicants to understand we are not storing their historical information to be used against them the next time they apply for a job.

Wyer’s perspective is that with time, things usually change. Credit scoring is a good example of information creep. However, the FTC decided Social Intelligence complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Here seems to be the central issue. Even if you delete an embarrassing photo or bawdy status update, the material could stay in your file for seven years, during which time it might be used against you if a prospective employer were to use the agency’s services to screen applicants. Words like could and might have always made Wyer, a privacy advocate, nervous.

So, now jump out and pretend you are applying for a job. You have read Violated Online; you are aware. You have, however, been really busy and those privacy settings are such a hassle! Your potential employer is “Googling” your name. They see Twitter, Linkedin, your blog, a few other social sites and Facebook. You made sure everything was cleaned up and tidy before you began your job hunt right? No way you will be violated online.

If Wyer and others are interpreting things correctly, Social Intelligence would have the goods on you before you cleaned up your online act, dating back seven years! You were how old then? You put what on your wall? The even bigger concern is that, just as there is more than one credit reporting bureau out there, others—perhaps dozens of companies like this—will archive your information.

The Social Intelligence Corp. has been given the go-ahead to operate by the Federal Government. Wyer says this is yet another example of how people’s online privacy is attacked—how they can be violated online. Awareness is the beginning of an online defense. Action is the solution. Here is yet one more reason to be deliberate when using social sites. Throwing caution to the winds will almost always expose you to being Violated Online.

As Wyer says, “If it could happen to me, it can happen to you.”

For information on author Steven Wyer, or the book Violated Online, go to Violatedonline.com.

Violated Online Book Warns Readers of Slander on the Internet

Posted: June 30, 2011 in violated online
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Have you been violated online?  A new book, Violated Online, says that millions of individuals might answer yes.  Written by Steven Wyer of Reputation Advocate, a search engine reputation management company (SERM), Violated Online offers true stories from projects the company has worked, depicts the history of the growing issue of online defamation and gives tips to protect the reader online.  Violated Online maintains that there are several factors that have come together to create an environment that has spurred the ease by which someone can be defamed, slandered, or violated online.

According to Violated Online, the most common question asked when Reputation Advocate receives an inquiry for services is “how could this happen?”  The question being asked pertains not as much to the client’s current need as to the lack of government oversight and the rapid speed at which slanderous material is distributed.  Violated Online opens with a brief history of just how the Internet has changed our lives forever.

Violated Online cites the cornerstone documents that currently govern Internet content. According to Wyer, “few suspected that the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and the Digital Copyright Act of 1998 would change our world forever.” A lack of understanding and attention to the news fostered an ignorance that has kept most people in the dark, says the author of Violated Online, regarding how government legislation impacts them, their vocation and their future. Wyer points out that in 1996 and 1998 there was no Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and even search engines were not understood by most people. There was little relevance to such legislation. Violated Online says that we face the same scenario with the issues surrounding Net Neutrality today.

Starting with these landmark legislative pieces and moving to the founding of Google, Violated Online maps out the expansive growth of online defamation. Violated Online also suggests that the combination of Google and social networks as an emergent force have created a foundation that few are prepared to deal with. “When you combine this reach—a massive tsunami of information available to nearly every human being alive—with the emergence of social networks, online conditions rapidly change,” points out the author of Violated Online.

Offering a bit of history, perspectives and gripping stories reflecting real issues, real damage and real answers, Violated Online simplifies these concerns and makes them understandable to the everyday person. While there are millions of professionals that derive their incomes from the use of technologies, Wyer has concluded that few people really understand how global connectivity works beyond their specific user experiences. He says that apathy is probably the single biggest factor in people being surprised by their online information.

The message of Violated Online is straight forward. Awareness is a person’s number one tool for defense. Awareness compels people to take action – action that can prevent them from being Violated Online. The book is available from all major books stores as well as online stores such as Amazon, the Apple Store and Books-A-Million.

To Friend or not to Friend? That is the Question.

Posted: June 11, 2011 in violated online
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These days, everyone seems to have an opinion regarding the topic “to friend or not to friend.” Some people live in denial and some live in ignorance. In any case, it is a good question to ponder. In his book, Violated Online, Steven Wyer of Reputation Advocate addresses the issue of social media.  “Today, people seem to believe that they are ‘safe’ in posting whatever they desire on a Facebook wall,” notes the Violated Online author.  According to Wyer, this faux feeling of safety has led to many individuals and companies being violated online and offline.

When adding someone to a social network like Facebook, it is important to realize that they may not really be a “friend” in the traditional sense, points out the Violated Online author.  In fact, Wyer notes in Violated Online that Facebook’s social networking empire has so impacted society that it now has its own social vernacular—“friend,” as in to friend someone.  And what happens, according to Violated Online, is that people forget that Facebook has changed the word “friend” forever.  Internet users have to understand that being “friends” with an acquaintance or a friend of an acquaintance allows others to potentially see comments and postings that may open up the possibility of being violated online.

While acknowledging that no one is exempt from being violated online, Wyer cautions Violated Online readers about sharing personal information with someone that has been recently “friended.”  According to the Violated Online author, deliberate evaluation of invitations is the best approach when sharing personal details with newly “friended” individuals.  Wyer maintains that Facebook lists are a good tool.  “Friend lists in Facebook allow you to determine who sees what,” points out Wyer, who reports that Violated Online is a first step toward educating readers on what some might consider basic assumptions.”  Information such as not sharing home or work addresses and phone numbers with a new “friend” might appear to be common sense to the net savvy. In Wyer’s estimation, “there are more than 100 million people in the U.S. that experience email, news and chat as a user experience but the more dynamic functions that create unknown exposure elude them.”

The author of Violated Online also maintains that social media settings are vital.  “In Violated Online, I  remind readers of the need to understand the parameters for security and confidentiality on social media sites,” states Wyer.  While comprehensive tutorials and articles exist, a small percentage of users actually take time to understand how these tools work. The beginning of any defensive strategy is to read the directions and understand the platform.

Wyer recalls, “I remember very clearly one Christmas. In a hurry to get the play kitchen put together and under the tree, I set the instructions aside. I believed I understood how to connect the pieces quickly. Absent reading the instructions, my assumptions turned into unintentional mistakes and the outcome was disastrous! There is a simple lesson to apply here. Be intentional in setting up any online account and take time to read first.”

To order the book Violated Online by Steven Wyer or to learn more about protecting yourself from being violated online, visit http://violatedonline.com.