‘Our research suggests there are real risks associated with these sites’: Experts say some job search platforms are stealing job seekers’ personal data

An Incogni report reveals that major job sites are selling sensitive user data, often without realizing it.
ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn and Monster Rank #1 for Collecting/Sharing Practices
Millions of job seekers in the United States are at risk, with only 7% expressing concern about their privacy being exposed.

Almost all major job search sites sell their users’ sensitive data to third parties – and most of them don’t even realize it.

A new report from Incogni surveyed 1,000 U.S. workers using nine “leading job search, recruiting, and professional networking platforms” and examined their privacy policies and legal disclosures.

ZipRecruiter was found to rank #1 in collecting and sharing personal information. LinkedIn and Monster, owned by Microsoft, ranked second and third. Incogni also pointed out that Microsoft has previously faced regulatory fines and lawsuits over privacy-related issues.

Users in the dark

At the same time, users either don’t know about it, or they don’t seem to think too much about it. More than a third (37%) of respondents believe that platforms only share user data with potential employees.

Nearly 50% said they only skim privacy policies when uploading their resumes, and 40% said they never delete the profiles they create on job search platforms. A quarter don’t remember all the platforms that have their data, and a third (34%) have uploaded their information to more than two platforms.

This is a problem that affects millions of people in the United States alone, Incogni suggested. The company says 7.4 million Americans are currently unemployed and four in five job seekers (79.5%) rely on job search sites as a “critical resource.”

“It’s difficult to focus on data privacy when you’re worried about putting food on the table, but our research suggests there are real risks associated with these sites,” said Darius Belejevas, director of Incogni.

“Only 7% of respondents expressed concern about sharing their personal information with job search platforms; it’s a shocking observation of the lack of education about privacy risks in the United States.”