iProfile (I know, yet again)

[Tarquin Farquhar]

I agree that it is wrong to post your details on the internet without asking you first. No amount of marketing waffle about improving the online experience makes up for that. The whole complaint about it is that it does not "allow you to keep track of who you have sent your CV to" because someone can publish it, full of errors, without asking you, and then you have to try to change it.

Just say No.

As for "also enables you to easily manage your agency subscriptions" what in Heaven's name is an "agency subscription"? If I send my CV to an agency to apply for a particular job, I do not see that I have "subscribed" to any ongoing arrangement.

Iprofile takes control of your data away from you and puts it in the hands of agents and marketeers. If you don't agree, Iprofile, let me ask you this: the control that I would like os for nobody to publish my CV on the internet. How do I exercise that control with respect to Iprofile?

Thinks: if somebody puts up an incorrect version of your CV on the internet, isn't that potentially defamatory and damaging to your business? If Iprofile colludes in allowing that and then fails to allow you to remove the damaging material then they could be seeing you in court.

[Fred Bloggs]

I agree that it is wrong to post your details on the internet without asking you first. No amount of marketing waffle about improving the online experience makes up for that. The whole complaint about it is that it does not "allow you to keep track of who you have sent your CV to" because someone can publish it, full of errors, without asking you, and then you have to try to change it.

Just say No.

As for "also enables you to easily manage your agency subscriptions" what in Heaven's name is an "agency subscription"? If I send my CV to an agency to apply for a particular job, I do not see that I have "subscribed" to any ongoing arrangement.

Iprofile takes control of your data away from you and puts it in the hands of agents and marketeers. If you don't agree, Iprofile, let me ask you this: the control that I would like os for nobody to publish my CV on the internet. How do I exercise that control with respect to Iprofile?

Thinks: if somebody puts up an incorrect version of your CV on the internet, isn't that potentially defamatory and damaging to your business? If Iprofile colludes in allowing that and then fails to allow you to remove the damaging material then they could be seeing you in court.

Nicely put. At the moment I have no way of editing anything that anyone puts up there on to "my" account.

[Batsman]

Today i received notifcation from an Agency that they were 'tidying up' their database and had noticed that i had an account on iprofile.org - this was the first i recall ever hearing of this.

They provided details so that i could access iprofile.org and view this for myself - which i did. I was amazed to see that iprofile.org had a copy of a version of my CV and were requesting to make it available to a list of recruitment agencies. I immediately looked for a mechanism to delete the account, and informed them using a provided text box that i was appalled that they were able to capture and store personal data from my CV without ever being given written permission by me to do so, and that i did not feel that any opt in clause hidden on some online job site gave them that permission in my opinion. I also informed them that i would be writing to each of the agencies listen to complain, and would write to the Information Commissioner (I have already done this and registered a complaint with them today).

My concern here are as follows:

1. That this approach sets a dangerous precident for the use and sharing of our personal data since i appear to have been opted into this system and have never given explicit consent for the capture, storage, and creation of an account in my name.

2. That they are storing data which may be generic, incorrect, out of date, or simply tailored for a very specific job role (that was advertised) which in the broader sense may see me excluded from another search.

3. That the process for creating an account is neither initiated nor placed in the account holders hands prior to or at inception, since we don't create the accounts ourselves (like we do on linkedin), they are created for us, which poses a greater risk of fraud or impersonation. It also risks old e-mail addresses being used, meaning we can no longer access or amend data on this site.

Further, i think it undermines the entire point of an employment or contractor agency. If they are all using the same system, then where do they differ from one another? They will all trawl the same database, race to find the same candidates, and then seek permission to submit them to the client - all for margins that range from 11 - 40% of our daily or hourly rates.

How is any of this in our interest. How does iprofile allow us to tailor a CV to the exact requirements of an advertised role, accentuating past experience in particular fields or exposure to particular role requirements without the CV becoming an epic work listing just about everything we've ever done.

iprofile is not of benefit to me, i think it undermines me as a contractor, risking making my CV too generic for roles looking for strong evidence of specific skills (which i imagine it will do to all of us). If it gains traction with agencies then we as contractors and the client loses out on the detailed matching that is often needed upfront to find the right contractors. Generic CV's won't do that effectively.

It leaves me wondering, what will the agencies really do to justify such large margins. Since all they are really doing is acting as an intermediary and managing the search. With the amount of money they are making from the client, surely it is in the interests of the client to begin to do this work inhouse and post directly on Job Serve or something - save themselves 20 + percent on every contractors daily rate.

Summary:

1. Account deleted on iprofile.org.
2. Complained to iprofile about capturing and storing my data.
3. Registered a formal complaint with the ICO.
4. E-mailed the agencies listed to register my concern.

I hope you'll all join with me and do the same. As contractors, we're being commodotised. I really cannot see iprofile being in our interest.

[WjrS]

I think it's time for the ICO and a Data Protection action with IProfile

UPDATE
*******
Further to the details of my post below I received and email from Alex Lever, Operations Director at IProfile apologising for the repeated problems that I have had with my status being changed to 'not currently looking for work' and agencies updating my profile with incorrect information.

The following paragraph was included in the email:

"I have instructed the team here to add your email address (my email address) to an exclusion list. This will ensure that if that email address is located in the future in any CV or other data that we receive from the recruitment agencies we work with, then that transaction will be errored and no record will be created. If there are any additional email addresses that you would like to also be excluded in this way, please send me an email from those email accounts to confirm."

I thought that I would wait and see what happens. Today after a busy morning on the boards I have received 4 (yes FOUR) emails from different agencies stating that an IProfile has been created for me and I was able to log in to find that the above statement from Alex Lever is not even worth the email it was typed on yesterday. The promise of being on an exclusion list was as hollow as their words regarding data protection and "our control of the information agencies see and use"

All emails have been filed for the ICO complaint I think now that the gloves are off having given them a chance to do the decent thing.

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Whilst looking for work I suddenly received an email stating that I already had an IProfile and that I could access it to ensure that my details were up to data and correct. Having never registered with them I was a little concerned as they were quoting my login as an email address that has been dead for nearly 3 years. As a result I was unable to get the password reset as you guessed it they send the notification to an email address. . . . . . . . that doesn't exist.

I emailed them, I used their contact form but after 4 weeks of no responses I finally got through on the phone and was able to get my email address changed. I was shocked then to find that my details had been on there for 7 years with no knowledge or authority from me and at best they were patchy, at worst completely incorrect and misleading. Initially I simply removed all of the incorrect information and put on some basic contact details and changed my status to "seriously looking for work".

I received another email from an agency stating that they had updated my details on IProfile. EXCUSE ME? My profile, relating to my job searches and any agency signed up can change my details without first even having the common courtesy to ask permission? I checked the details to find that they were incorrect and that the status had been changed to "not currently looking".

I took the time to paste in the job history and reset my status to "seriously looking". 2 days later I received and email from another IProfile registered agency stating that they had updated my details. . . . . . . yes you guessed it to "currently not looking".

As a result of this I logged in and deleted my IProfile and in the feedback form made it clear to IProfile that it was unacceptable that as a Data Subject they were allowing their registered agencies free-reign to change my details as and when they please without my prior approval or vetting. I received an email confirming my deletion but arrogantly stating that at any time in the future their subscribed agencies can and will create a new profile and that it is my responsibility to make sure that it is accurate.

Guess again. . . .Yes! Another one has been set up and I was sent an email with a user name and password (unsecure, so much for data protection and security) neither of which worked and when I hit the button to get the password reset it stated that details were invalid.

Via that agency link there was an option to delete the IProfile but the wording was ambiguous as to whether the agency would then delete my response to the job advert concerned or if it related to them holding my CV in future.

I noted that a contact from IProfile has responded to this thread and their comments regarding data protection and security just don't cut the mustard. From a Data Protection point of view IPRofile hold and process (not the agencies) information about us as Data Subjects which is being updated without our consent and regularly contains incorrect information. By definition that on 2 occasions my status has been changed to "not currently looking" without my consent or knowledge then their actions are likely to cause me "harm" or prejudice my job hunting activities.

Based upon name and email address there is absolutely no reason why they are unable to hold an opt-out list to prevent unauthorised and inaccurate profiles from being created. That would however affect their revenue stream I guess so not in their interests.

I have sent them a formal complaint including the fact that they are explicitly not authorised to create any new profiles against me and that I will be making a complaint to the ICO relating to their sharp practice and pushing for formal high profile action if they continue to create, hold and process inaccurate information about me.

I will let you know how and more importantly if they bother to respond as they seem to hold the Data Protection Act in little regard.

From now on each time I receive a new account notification I firstly file the email for evidence to go to the ICO and secondly immediately take the option to delete the IProfile.