Eight organizations and JobsDB contravene privacy ordinance for posting anonymous job ads

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has found that eight organizations and the job website JobsDB have violated the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance for posting anonymous job advertisements.

Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling said Monday that the eight organizations requiring job seekers to provide personal data to unknown recruiting entities, while JobsDB published the ads on its platform, are involved in the unfair collection of personal data and violated the Ordinance.

The eight recruiters posted the so-called "blind" recruitment advertisements under the name of "Private Advertiser" on the platform without disclosing their identities, with some even listing "0000 0000" as the contact number while requiring applicants to send personal information to email address that was not registered with the company domain.

From January this year, candidates have been able to apply for the advertised jobs by clicking the "Quick Apply" button as instructed in the advertisements to submit their personal data. 

The information will be stored in JobsDB's management system, and applicants can request their information to be deleted and JobsDB controls the circumstances and the duration for which organizations can access the relevant data.

Chung said the enforcement notices were issued to urge JobsDB and three recruiting organizations to take measures to remedy the contraventions and prevent the recurrence of similar contraventions in future.

Advisory letters were also issued to the remaining five organizations last Friday (Dec 6), she added.

In a response on Monday, JobsDB said it accepted the PCPD's findings and will continue close collaboration with the watchdog to ensure the privacy and security of the candidates' and hirers' data.

The online platform noted that it has temporarily ceased posting "Private Advertiser" job ads since last month, and all employers are required to disclose company names along with verified contact information in their job advertisements. 

JobsDB also removed the "Quick Apply" feature for future Private Advertiser job ads so as to prevent employers from directly accessing applicants' personal information without revealing their identity.

It noted that the Private Advertiser feature will be reinstated for employers in Hong Kong starting this Thursday (Dec 12) after the abovementioned changes.

"We regret any inconvenience or impacts this situation may have caused and will continue to prioritize our customers' data privacy and trust as we move forward with these changes," it added.

(updated at 9.35 pm)