09th May 2008
Finding a Clean Slate
In Great Britain, a database listing employees with identifying information including photos, and their grounds for dismissal will be available for future employers to check on potential hires. The database, called the National Staff Dismissal Register (NSDR) raises a number of concerns for employees. First, and foremost, these grounds for dismissal don’t have to be reported for police. Employers seem to be able to literally enter any information without fear of penalty. Second, there is no method for addressing any inaccuracies in the database:
James Welch, the legal director of human rights group Liberty, also says that he is concerned that the register does not offer sufficient redress to the falsely accused.
“This scheme appears to bypass existing laws which protect employees by limiting the circumstances when information about possible criminal activity can be shared with potential employers.”
Aee. I’m all for sharing information, but as you can see in the comments, there seems to be a lot of room for abuse, and once on the list, what will you do for work?
Pre-emptive dirt digging seems to be the name of the game these days.
If you have any degree of influence, no matter how minor, your private life become public domain. So it is that what makes the most sense these days, in my humble opinion, is busting yourself. You take the fun out of it for the media and most other people who would be nosy parkers. You take a five days story and make it two days.
For example, look at Barack Obama. He wrote a rather revealing, raw personal memoir at the age of 33. His drug use in his teens and early twenties has been a total yawn. No one can call gotcha on him because his youthful indiscretions have been common knowledge for fifteen years.
In truth, we are all voyeurs in this society, praying that the camera or the prying eyes of the interested never turn upon us. Many of us lust for fame or fortune, but with both comes a lack of privacy and the glare of the camera.
So one can toil in obscurity and preserve some degree of privacy, but a simple google search can reveal a wealth of knowledge about anyone. And as our search engines become more advanced and more efficient, our sense of privacy will suffer in the process.
So have you busted yourself already?
I can’t think of what I would be busted for, but I suppose you never know….