UK Government to spy on computers of the jobless

[T_i_B]

Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)

Jobseekers will be offered the chance to look for work through the new Universal Jobmatch website, which automatically pairs them up with opportunities that suit their skills after scanning their CVs.

It will also allow employers to search for new workers among the unemployed and send messages inviting them to interviews.

However, their activities may also be tracked using devices known as "cookies", so their Job Centre advisers know how many searches they have been doing and whether they are turning down viable opportunities.

Iain Duncan-Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said the scheme would "revolutionise" the process of looking for work. He said anyone without a job after signing up to the scheme would be lacking "imagination".



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9757895/Government-to-spy-on-computers-of-the-jobless.html

[hobbit709]

1. I bet of a lot of the job seekers have plenty of imagination about what should happen to this clown.

And his brilliant statement.

[idwiyo]

7. I can think about few things, that's for sure. May be Anonymous can volunteer for a lesson in

Computer use, privacy and respect for less fortunate.

[midnight]

2. Here in America, the hungry have to go to church before they are feed..... These types of schemes

I wouldn't call revolutionary....

[midnight]

11. What on Earth... just the opposite... thought it was obvious how wrong it is to make

hungry people go to church....just to be feed.... But that's is what we do in America.... O my god... my post was removed because it was assumed I'm "fuck the homeless crowd"




Just saw the person who told me I was part of the "fuck the homeless crowd" has had that statement removed.. Thanks— Just a little mix up I guess....

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. ...

"When social rights (unemployment insurance, the minimum wage, healthcare, etc.) are transformed into social debt and private debt, the beneficiaries into debtors whose repayment means adopting prescribed behavior, subjective relations between 'creditor' institutions, which allocate rights, and 'debtors,' who benefit from assistance or services, begin to function in a radically different way, just as Marx foresaw."

"In 'individual monitoring,' one is expected to come clean. Once a month, those on public assistance must talk about themselves (or make a show of themselves) and justify what they are doing with their lives and their time. But even in the case where the recipient resists this invasion of privacy, the violence against his person and his subjectivity, he is no less troubled by the 'work on the self' these institutions oblige him to undertake."

Maurizio Lazzarato, The Making of Indebted Man

[Joanie Baloney]

8. Boy, that quote hits home

I reached the point in my unemployment benefits where I had to go the local EDD office and "justify" my work search efforts. After jumping through several hoops for the opportunity to attend the meeting, I sat down with a counselor who opened with "So, how's your job search going?" Before I knew it, I blurted out a snarky "I'm still unemployed, aren't I?" She patted my hand and said "I sense the frustration in your voice." Well. duh.

Now I know that I am "troubled by 'the work on the self'" that I am obliged to undertake. Makes total sense.

-JB

[marble falls]

13. I fortunately haven't had to jump through hoop in a long long time, but your experiance certainly ..

echoes mine when I did have to perform. I pray the New Year gets you what you need: real work for a real wage.

[Joanie Baloney]

17. Thank you

That is my hope as well!

♥

[T_i_B]

18. I think it needs to be explained at this point...

...How UK Job Seekers Allowance works as UK unemployment benefits already have a degree of monitoring in them, although it's very poorly done.

What the unemployed person has to do is keep a diary of everything they've done to find work over 2 weeks, to be presented at the job centre when they sign on. In all honesty this will almost certainly be given no more then a cursory glance before the benefits are processed & the benefit claimant is told they will be getting their benefits paid into their account next week.

UK Job Centres give the unemployed the "wham bam thank you mam" treatment and do very little to actually help people into work. It's all about ticking boxes for the benefit of some twerp in Whitehall. I don't have experience of the horrors of "workfare" or A4E centres and I don't want to experience those things either.

Dimwit-Smith could have looked at improving the monitoring already inherent to JSA to make it worthwhile for both government and the unemployed but they've chosen this scheme instead, which will almost certainly create for more problems then it solves.

[Tien1985]

6. This isn't new.

Cookies are extremely common, and can be blocked pretty easily, though they may stipulate that cookies must be turned on to use the site.

Still, this really isn't big news. I'll be more surprised to find out that monster and jobs.com haven't been issuing the same technology for several years now. And I'm dead serious. This is a common type of information gathering that has been used for over a decade now.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. The difference is the government can use 'sanctions'

But job advisors are able to impose sanctions such as "mandatory work activity" if they feel the unemployed are not searching hard enough.

Yeah, block the cookies, and they'll say "there's no proof you're searching hard enough".

[Tien1985]

12. I know

Some here will be offended by it, but when I was looking for work, I would have gladly given them the information myself. It makes people accountable to someone--and, sure, that'll anger some. We need to feed and house people who are hungry and homeless, including those who will only be that way until they get back on their feet. I have no problem with being on top of their progress back into productiveness, though. Getting people back to work, when possible, should be just under meeting their physical needs. Lots of people go to career centers to get this type of thing as a service.

I am open to changing my opinion on this, but I don't see why it should be a problem.

[Celebration]

16. I agree with you

I don't feel that fraud is a huge part of the system, but there is no denying that there are at least some percentage of people that could abuse the system--it angers me, too. The pool of unemployment insurance money is limited. It sucks productivity out of the system to have (albeit only a few) people abusing the system.

A legitimate job searcher shouldn't have an issue with this.

[Is That All There Is]

10. More Spying

by the British Gov't is a suprise? It has to be a good idea though it is from Europe and everything from Europe is a great idea.

[greymattermom]

14. this assumes one computer per person

Just use an old laptop for job searching and share it will your unemployed friends. Use your good laptop for DU.

[RKP5637]

15. Delete the cookies after each session ... use tools to delete LSO's/Supercookies. n/t

[Posteritatis]

19. Odd, since the UK recently implemented some pretty strict regulation on tracking. (nt)

[Prophet 451]

20. This evil son of a bitch needs to die

I still haven't forgiven him for describing being unemployed as a "sin".