Job boards have become popular with organizations and job applicants. However, one major ethical concern has to do with information privacy. Two considerations seem especially important to consider. First, who “owns” the data that applicants input into job board systems? Although online information privacy laws vary by country, with the European Union having stricter laws than the United States, the answer to this question is not clear. Imagine a scenario in which an online job board company tracks all your job application information and personal information and then sells this research about you. This is not as far-fetched as it sounds; there are documented accounts of job boards selling résumés and e-mail addresses.
A second concern is information security. Even if an organization does not plan to share your information with others, it is possible that cybercrime could lead to your information being stolen. For example, more than 1 million Monster.com subscribers had their information stolen. This is a serious concern, given how sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers can be for identity theft. In response, Monster.com now allows users to make their résumés completely private so that employers cannot search for you but you can still search job listings and send out résumés and applications yourself.

Questions 

1. How would you discuss these ethical issues with the decision makers in your organization? Are there specific policies or practices you would recommend?
2. Beyond the issues described here, what other ethical questions might you ask about online job boards? Think of them from the perspective of the job applicant, the recruiting organization, the tech company that operates the board, and any other stakeholders.