Looking for a job? Savvy recruiters will check you out online before they check you out in person.
Looking for insurance? Savvy insurance agents will do the same.
That’s not to say they should, or at least not without your consent, according to a recent article in The Lawyers Weekly (full disclosure: while I write for this publication, I did not write this article).
Here’s the situation in a paragraph:
Insurance companies, already scouring the Internet to detect suspect cases of fraud, are now exploring the possibility of using social networks and social media to help underwrite insurance policies, a development that may have surprising privacy implications.
And here’s the takeaway:
The trend toward using online data to make decisions about individuals underscores the need for consumers to understand how their data is being shared, say legal observers.
“Individuals who publish their personal information on social media such as Facebook, Twitter or their own blogs have to understand that they need to control their personal information they put out, because they could be accessed by third parties,” said Kaufman.
I’m not saying you must be squeaky-clean online, but it pays to be aware that everything you publish can be used against you in a variety of places. Be careful out there.
To read the whole article, click here.