'PREDICTIVE BEHAVIOR'- 'Pre-Crime' Comes to the Human Resources Department

[Panaconda]

'Pre-crime' Comes to the HR Dept.

September 29, 2010
By Mike Elgan


In the Steven Spielberg movie Minority Report, police belonging to a special Pre-crime unit arrest people for crimes they would do in the future. It's science fiction, and it will probably never happen in our lifetimes. However, the pre-crime concept is coming very soon to the world of Human Resources (HR) and employee management. A Santa Barbara, Calif., startup called Social Intelligence data-mines the social networks to help companies decide if they really want to hire you.



Using automation software that slogs through Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, and "thousands of other sources," the company develops a report on the "real you" -- not the carefully crafted you in your resume. The service is called Social Intelligence Hiring. The company promises a 48-hour turn-around.

...

The reports feature a visual snapshot of what kind of person you are, evaluating you in categories like "Poor Judgment," "Gangs," "Drugs and Drug Lingo" and "Demonstrating Potentially Violent Behavior." The company mines for rich nuggets of raw sewage in the form of racy photos, unguarded commentary about drugs and alcohol and much more.

The company also offers a separate Social Intelligence Monitoring service to watch the personal activity of existing employees on an ongoing basis. The service is advertised as a way to enforce company social media policies, but given that criteria are company-defined, it's not clear whether it's possible to monitor personal activity.

...

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/features/article.php/12297_3905931_1/Pre-crime-Comes-to-the-HR-Dept.htm

[bemildred]

1. This is just profiling with a fancy new name.

Good behavior is not enough any more, you have to look right.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. We are not as free as we think

and the concept of pre crime, I am betting, will also enter law enforcement.

As is. Careful what you post.

Oh and if somebody REALLY wants to know WHAT YOU POST... handles are just a barrier that will take oh 15 seconds to get over.

[RKP5637]

5. Yep, and more reasons to dump the internet as much as possible. It is one

wired node into peoples minds. I wonder how many people realize, for example, they blast their id/location all over via their IP whenever they send an email.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I do

but then again I am a geek...

The net has good things to it, but also very a very dark side to it.

If anybody wanted to run a resistance to insert regime here, the net might be convenient but not quite safe.

The only thing that is the saving grace here is... the VOLUME.

[RKP5637]

10. Yep, I know the feeling of being a geek!

:toast:

[maryf]

3. We had an entire workshop

on what might be used against employees... drinking photos and comments about work were the two biggest no nos. K&R

[Panaconda]

4. What was the purpose?

Why would certain elements (management?) wish to use things against employees? What's the agenda?

[maryf]

12. Being a "public servant"

Management is making certain their servants maintain the proper decorum. Actually the workshop was at a union conference and showed examples of social network pages that got people fired as they hit on morality clauses, or implied ones, or where the people spoke out against fellow staff members or students. Political viewpoints or slogans are apparently still covered under freedom of speech and safe to post (yeah right safe), but photos of drinking (even toasts at weddings)have lost some their jobs and not held up in court.

Your question about the agenda is a good one; any excuse to remove those who they deem undesirable? Granted some examples were really idiotic, blasting all students as stupid while saying they live to drink for instance...but the point is big brother, mother, father, and friends are all watching...and collecting data other than student tests...

[HughMoran]

7. Orwellian

;)

[Panaconda]

11. Somewhat

Perhaps both ways work towards the same end of attaining an oppressive atmosphere of self-censorship. We sure do see that everywhere these days.

Me, guess ultimately I'm one of the last bastions of hard-core realists who speaks his mind no matter the occasion. Wouldn't last a minute under the scrutiny of the 'pre-crime' speculants. Wouldn't want to.

Who would?

[RKP5637]

13. Yeah! We were just discussing here Google, for example, should re-brand themselves as

"Brother-Google."

[upi402]

8. God must be pissed, cuz he approves of 2nd chances

But in God fearing America ...
Ya can't rent an apartment if you screwed up in your youth.

It doesn't matter where you go, just go away.

[saltpoint]

9. It would be interesting to know the hire/fire thresholds.

What if an applicant scored very high on good judgment but nevertheless was a member of a remorseless violent gang?

Or what if you presented yourself as a family-values fundamentalist Christian but on weekends hired hookers to accommodate your diaper fetish? Not that that would ever really happen, of course.

[Odin2005]

14. More creeping corporate serfdom.

Pretty soon we will not have any of our "private" lives to ourselves anymore, we will be always watching what we do lest Lord Corporation discover "behavior incompatible with the goals of the company".

[RKP5637]

15. Yeah, basically the thought police have arrived. Very troubling. I would expect the

gov. to be concerned about privacy, but it seems that notion was given up some time ago.

[travelingtypist]

16. Yawn.

Convicted felon here. Been dealing with this since a really stupid mistake in my early 20s. Of course, I "deserved" it.

Welcome to the club for all of the rest of y'all.

[rucky]

17. How can you determine private behavior from public actions?

People aren't always who they appear to be - everybody knows that from interpersonal contact. Don't see how social media would change that.

[pipi_k]

22. I tend to agree to a point...

but then there's also the question of someone's really bad judgment in advertising any sort of foolish or incriminating acts one has done.


Example...my daughter's stepdaughter is early 20s, has two young children, lives with the father of the kids but isn't married to him. They can barely pay their bills but always seem to have money for things like weekly manicures or whatever, and they both go out once a week drinking and partying. She mostly is the one who advertises that fact all over FaceBook, then Sunday or Monday morning complains about the hangover. Each and every week.

What is one supposed to think about that behavior?

OK, maybe she isn't a drunken, neglectful parent (and really it's no concern of mine), but advertising her weekly drinking binges is really really stupid. I think that is the root of the whole issue of judging someone from public actions. Not that they did it, but that they very stupidly think it's something to be so proud of that they post about it.

[felix_numinous]

18. Lovely,

How expensive is it to have personal data scrubbed? Good business opportunity!

[blindpig]

19. Who are the Brain Police?

I guess we know now.

[maryf]

20. and they want to recruit you!

don't let em! :)

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. In Ca. Social Workers are required to "predict" a future problem

and to report that person.
Which is why I quit Social Work in Cal.

"Duty to report" normally meant there are a limited number of events ( we discover sex abuse, elderly abuse,child abuse) that were mandatory reporting, pretty much the same in every state.

But when I was hired in Ca. I was told it was mandatory to report a situation if I thought there a was "possibility"
someone could be harmed in the future.
Not the near future, but at ANY point in the future.

Mind reading is indeed alive and well.

[davsand]

23. Does anyone still have an illusion of net privacy?

I just expect that anything I put out on the net will be attributed to me--period.

I can't say that I censor myself, exactly, but I always pretty much post with the realization that anything I say could come back to bite me on the ass if somebody wants it to. I have just treat the internet like I am chatting with a reporter. Can't imagine anyone treating it like they are anonymous.


Laura

[slackmaster]

24. That's exactly why I don't use TwitBook, etc. and never use my real name on forums

:hi: