Technology keeps changing how we live. How we do business, how we choose an employee, how we study, shop, and even get a doctor’s prescription. What are the implications of such changes in our everyday lives? Background checks became standard a long time ago. Not just for human resources, but for most legally binding contracts, and even the dating world. But, what happens when we leave the task to artificial intelligence? Can we ensure that the information remains accurate?
AI Can Still Make Mistakes
The first thing that raises concerns is that currently, background checks performed by artificial intelligence do not address errors or mistakes in instances like criminal records. If the company you applied to uses Artificial Intelligence for background checks, you should get ahead and use a service like Check People to find out as much as you can about what information they may run into. For example, you can find that your record was mixed with someone else’s, with a name similar to yours. Or that an expunged or sealed record is still showing. If you find any mistakes or conflicting information, you should take action and correct it as soon as you can.
AI Can Analyze Social Media Accounts in Minutes
Currently, employers may consider information on your social media accounts as part of the hiring process, but they usually do not thoroughly analyze it. That racial comment that you made when you were young and didn’t know better may never be seen. But with artificial intelligence performing background checks, the rules of the game change. You need to be more mindful than ever before about your social media presence.
Understanding that we live in a world in which our information is permanently stored, and often times shared, means being careful of what you disclose.
If you want to avoid problems, try to keep your social media profiles as private as possible. Think twice about what you share, how you express yourself, and who you are linked to. Whenever possible, erase controversial posts and opinions. Remember that your digital footprint will follow you for the rest of your life. Periodic searches about your information or alerts in different search engines may help you correct mistakes before they become a liability. If you are a parent, be careful of what your kids share. Wait until they are old enough to understand how information is used before you allow them to have a social media presence. Have open conversations with them about how information is stored and used, and protect their privacy as much as you can. Help them understand that what they post today may have serious consequences for them in the future. Information is power and should be handled carefully.
Know and Enforce Your Rights
There is a fine line between making safe choices and discrimination. Not all information acquired from a background check can be used to make a hiring decision, so you should be aware of what your potential employer is considering. Every citizen should know their rights, including their right to privacy. In order to enforce such rights, you want to remain aware of who uses your information and for what purposes. A good idea is to set alerts on search engines, so any time something is posted and contains your name, you’ll get a message. If a website is posting your personal information without your permission, you have the right to request them to take it down. Usually, a simple message to the webmaster is enough, but if they deny or ignore your request, you may need to ask for help from the authorities and get a court order.
While artificial intelligence makes our lives easier in a number of ways, it still needs to go a long way before being perfect. Because AI cannot make value judgments, it will not recognize conflicting information, so we need to get ahead and make sure that there is nothing that will affect us. In the end, this also helps developers recognize their mistakes and failures and ensures better technologies for everybody.
Guest Post
Founder Dinis Guarda
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