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

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

Commissioner of Privacy Ada Chung Lai-ling urged citizens to try ascertaining an employer’s identity when applying for jobs and refrain from submitting personal information brashly when an employer’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 insufficient to identify 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 do not include advertisements posted by a recruitment agency for unnamed companies, as the agency’s identity and contact details were readily available.