Protect Your Data. Accenture, Shame On You!

Data privacy is a big thing nowadays.
I thought that repeated interviews and media appearances of robo-Zuckerberg defending his baby turned into a monster (Facebook) are going to start setting things straight in terms of online privacy. But, as it turns out, while the world was appalled of online broken trust & privacy, other monsters were being born in the dark corners of the Internet.

I’ve just met a few the other day while applying for a new contract. I was outraged but I didn’t do anything about it. I didn’t think it’s important enough. But today, my outrage reached colossal proportions with Accenture. But let me walk you through it.

I am currently looking for a new copywriting contract.

So I started applying. You know, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and other portals, some of which I heard of, some of them new. It doesn’t matter where I submit my CV, as long as I get a shot to the contract I like — I thought.

After a while, however, I have noticed that the same job post consecutively sent me through different portals.

It seemed odd but I didn’t entertain the thought. Eventually, I noticed something else. Although a job opening was posted on a portal, once I reached the company actually offering the job, I had to make a profile on their website as well. Oooook. It kind of makes sense, they want to have CVs for future job openings — I kept telling myself.

But all this data hunger reached hilarious proportions when …

… I was asked what school I went to between the ages of 11 to 16 if I had school meals or what college degree, if any, do my parents have. Yes, this all happened on the Accenture website.

Ah, I am sorry, I have actually moved past those questions about my sexual orientation, my gender, my age, my religion, and my cultural background. These questions were asked not just by Accenture but also by Kew Gardens and a few others. It seems pretty ironic that immediately after wanting to learn these things about me, these companies state they are equal opportunities employers.

To be honest, I am in a bit of a shock. I find it abhorrent to take advantage of people like that.

When someone is looking for a job they are pretty vulnerable, they’d click anything just to finally submit their application so that they finally see themselves employed. Gathering such personal data about them is … my words are really failing me at this point. We all kinda know how that data can be used. In this particular case, the user doesn’t even get cat videos in return (like with Facebook), they just get the faint chance to a job interview. And, of course, they have absolutely no control whatsoever on what happens to their data.

Oh, I did forget to mention that after I made an account on Accenture (I haven’t answered those questions though), I tried to delete it. Guess what? It’s not really possible.

Please, pretty please, be aware! It’s a jungle out there. And the deadliest animals are well disguised.