Personal Data Privacy Awareness

Date: 02-Nov-2022

Hi All,

From a long time, I had this thought in my mind to pen down on a general topic practicing basic
ethics relevant to data privacy in order to create an awareness in masses.

It has been observed that when we are in search of a job (not via any job portals) through Telegram
channels or WhatsApp group or any such channels, when we request any unknown who is in the
group but have never seen or not never met, most of them with kind heart will acknowledge by
asking us to drop our CV/Resume personally on the IM, where we are communicating. Doing so, I
personally believe not the right approach for the following reasons explained below.

One can understand the level of awareness a person carries who is not from Infosec/Cybersecurity
background asking to drop CV via telegram or WhatsApp or any other social media channel, but
what baffles me is when those who are into infosec/cybersecurity field asking the person to drop
resume through the above-mentioned channel, totally ignoring to follow their basic data privacy
teachings. A protector and safeguard of data, loosely not abiding the teachings of the data
protection control.

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As an infosec/cybersecurity professional our responsibility of safeguarding the data/information
doesn’t restrict us only within the boundaries/scope of the organisation where we work, but in fact
it applies where ever we tend to find it absolute necessary in the surroundings we live in. We follow
it as an example to others and we create an awareness among others too. Thats how in one way we
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give it back to the community.

What truly happens when we share our resume through social media channel such as Telegram or
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WhatsApp or any other??

You drop in your resume to a concerned person through Telegram, the concern person even if a
genuine helper will forward it to their known sources via the same channel and this chain will
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continue where unless someone see it and discard or ignore the message.

Meanwhile what happens, if someone in the chain drops it in a group? even if the intension of the
person is to help for a job, the privacy is breached. We never know what will happen to our personal
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data from there onwards. Not all are white sheep, there are black sheep’s too.

What does you CV contain? To a minimum Your Name, your DoB, your email, you phone number,
your address, your employment history, your Passport or visa number, your photo if applying jobs in
GCC as it’s a practice to attach Passport size pic in the resume... Remember the impact if it’s of a
female resume? If this is not a Personally Identifiable Information (PII) breach then what is it? Oh,
please don’t ask me what one will do with such info of an unknown person? Asking such means,
truly you don’t deserve to be in infosec field. To a least, you may start receiving junk SMS, junk calls
and junk mails or to females some harassment calls, as we don’t have a dearth of perverts in our
society.

The true fact is HR or any manager will never ask for or entertain your resume through unofficial
channels. They will ignore or discard or make no count if they receive it though their WhatsApp or
telegram or any social media.

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Even if you as a candidate have shared your resume to your known person through whatsApp or
Telegram or any other unofficial channel asking them to assist you for a job in their organisation,
they have to forward it through official channel such as through their personnel or official email id to
HR or their concerned manager. Even if HR or any manager personally known to an employee, they
need to drop candidates resume via email (personnel or official email).

A person who asks to share resume via telegram or whatsApp all they do utmost is forward it to
their other known persons, that's it. Nothing more from there on. No follow ups. They won’t even
reach their HR or manager in their organisation. If they have to reach then the only channel is email
not telegram or WhatsApp.

Whether there is any opening in their company or not that is secondary. But atleast should forward
it to HR or Manager. It will be in their inbox, whenever the opportunity arises, the HR will give
priority first to internal employee recommendation as they trust their employee and honour their
words as well save their precious time in searching for candidates externally and utilise the same
time for other productivity. If the candidate is worthy, well Good luck then, they will hire after
following all formalities completed.

So, from here on please do remember:

when YOU seek a job with someone and if they ask you to drop your resume via telegram or
whatsApp, then request them humbly to share their email id (personnel email at least) for two
things.

1) To safeguard your personal data.

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2) To check the intention/integrity (not the integrity of infosec CIA, but of personal traits, i.e.,
honesty or sincerity) of a person whom you sought help for a job. If they are hesitant to
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share their non-official id for whatever reason, then just ignore them. They won’t be more
helpful to you beyond forwarding your resumes to others and tend to forget with no follow
up.
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If OTHERS have advertised job offer in telegram or WhatsApp or any such group and have not shared
email id (here official email id, not personnel email required), then ask for the same. If they are
reluctant to share, then consider it as fake. If you are truly struggling for job and desperately need
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one and wants to take a chance of with such job advertisements in the group, then the least you can
do is to remove almost all personal information and add only your half name, your secondary non
important mobile number and email. That’s it, not more than that.
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Always remember the concept of and follow ‘ZERO TRUST SECURITY’, although it doesn’t work out
all the time in real world, try it at the most wherever its required.

Hope it has been informative to you and I like to thank you for reading.

Regards
Alice A (In a Wonderful land)