Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog warns jobseekers against ‘blind’ ads to protect personal data

Hong Kong’s privacy commissioner has warned jobseekers to stay vigilant against “blind” employment advertisements to avoid potential misuse of personal data, as the watchdog has launched investigations into five firms for posting suspicious want ads.

Commissioner of Privacy Ada Chung Lai-ling urged residents to try ascertaining an employer’s identity when applying for jobs and refrain from submitting personal information brashly when a hirer’s identity remains unknown and unreachable in an advertisement.

“Since ‘blind’ advertisements could be used for illegal collection of personal data, and could also be manipulated by unscrupulous people to collect personal data for scams, I urge jobseekers to be vigilant when they see ‘blind’ advertisements,” Chung said.

The privacy commissioner was referring to job advertisements where the employer was not identified, while contact details provided were also not enough to know the company, yet candidates were asked to submit their personal data, from resumes to Hong Kong identity card numbers, for application.

This category of “blind” job advertisements does not include advertisements posted by a recruitment agency for unnamed companies, as the company’s identity and contact details were readily available.