Employers warned

Employers who consider information on applicants from sources outside of the application form and CV should “tread carefully”, say data protection lawyers.

Last week, the information commissioner’s office shut down a company which sold workers’ confidential data, including union activities, to firms.
Nick Graham, partner and data protection specialist at Denton Wilde Sapte, says:“Trading in personal information is a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 unless the relevant individuals have been informed and therefore have had an opportunity to correct any inaccuracies in the information.”