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Companies likely already have access to your salary history because Equifax sells it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29834753 https://news.ycombinator.co

Companies likely already have access to your salary history because Equifax sells it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29834753 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29834753 So if you think your salary information is private, it's not private from the entity most able to abuse your salary history to suppress your wages, a new employer.

Invictus0 4y ago
How to freeze your work number (copied from reddit): Create an account using one of your employers (old or new, it doesn't matter). If you have problems with this step, then skip to step 2 and ask the CSR for help with this. Call the customer service at 866-222-5880 (FYI, it helps to call early in the morning when most people are asleep) Choose option 2 for "Report a problem..." Tell the customer service rep (CSR) that you want to freeze your SSN on TWN. Verbally verify that this will keep 3rd parties from accessing the info. At this point, the CSR may try to direct you to the online form, but you need to be firm and say that you want to complete the process over the phone. If they still try to direct you to the online form, say that you will not be satisfied until the process is completed over the phone. I know this can be uncomfortable for some folks to challenge someone like this, but it's the easiest way. At this point, the CSR will ask for personal information including your account name (created in step 1) SSN, DOB, address, email The rep will send you a one-time code using the method of your choice (phone, text, email, mail). I chose text message. Tell them the code verbally over the phone Congrats. Your SSN is now frozen on TWN, preventing 3rd parties from access without your authority. You will receive a confirmation email Optional 8) If your CSR was friendly and helpful, ask to speak with their manager and give them a little praise. Pull a reverse-Karen I prefer this method because it prevents you from having to mail or email any documents and you get instant confirmation and a case number to review your status. The whole process took like 10 minutes over the phone.
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  See also https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze/ https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze/
- forgot_old_user 4y ago
  >Keep in mind that a freeze could slow down application processes for things like a loan, a job, or social service benefits hmm.. what does that mean? I can be refused a loan if I forget to unfreeze before applying?
  - ceejayoz 4y ago
    Refused, or asked to un-freeze. Depends on the banking institution.
  - thewebcount 4y ago
    Yes. This nearly happened to my spouse and I. It was such a pain in the ass. We froze our accounts after the Equifax breach. For some reason, I was able to unfreeze mine quickly and easily over the web, but for hers, they refused to do it over the web and insisted on using postal mail. Meanwhile the loan officer was telling us that if we couldn't get it unfrozen, they couldn't guarantee the rate they gave us and the loan could fall through. I forget exactly what happened, but once we received the letter in the mail we were able to call and get it lifted just before the time limit on the loan ran out. I would not want to go through that again. It's a terrible system.
kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
Many states have salary history bans to mitigate this. It doesn't prevent Equifax from doing other things with your salary history but it isn't a factor in seeking employment if you are served by competent legislators.
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  What makes you think discovery of the info is enforced in states that have those laws?
- hayst4ck 4y ago
  > you are served by competent legislators. Until campaign finance law is reformed, there can be no expectation of competent legislation. In American government, politicians must spend significant amounts of time fundraising. Most of the time, the candidate that is most successful fundraising wins their primary. The general election only involves candidates who won their primary. So before any person gets to vote in a general election, people must vote in a primary election, and before people vote in a primary election, companies get to vote with money in the "fundraising election". If you've ever thought our government is more responsive to money than public opinion, it's because money gets to "vote" on political candidates before anyone else does. Here is Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig's presentation on this very idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE Here is a related political campaign: https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/ https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/
  - BurningFrog 4y ago
    > Most of the time, the candidate that is most successful fundraising wins their primary This is true, but the causality is far less clear. Even without the suggested mechanism, the most popular candidate would be expected to get both the most votes and the most donations. The research on election outcomes says that enough money is needed to make the voters aware of who the candidate is and where they stand on the issues. Beyond that, more money does very little.
petilon 4y ago
This law isn't about helping companies by making your salary history available to them. It is about helping job seekers by making the salary range of the job public, so you know how much to expect and ask for.
- harpiaharpyja 4y ago
  That's in line with what GP is saying. Companies were already able to get your salary history anyways.
  - petilon 4y ago
    Companies were, employees were not. That's why this law is necessary. This evens the playing field.
    - digitaLandscape 4y ago
    - eliseumds 4y ago
      And that's exactly what GP is trying to convey.
      - usefulcat 4y ago
        I've read GP comment three times now and I don't get that meaning at all. Either they did a really bad job, or (more likely) that's not what they were trying to convey.
        loupol 4y ago
        I personally understood GP comment as vindicating in favor of the law by implicitly trying to preempt those who might argue that this used to be (and should remain) private information. The counterargument it makes is that it isn't private and that the information asymmetry creates a power imbalance that would be curbed by this law. My interpretation may be wrong though, English is not my native language.
Plasmoid 4y ago
Could I buy the salary information for a company?
baby 4y ago
Did you read the article? Your link seems unrelated.
cebert 4y ago
There are several firms that exist that provide income and net worth as a service. For example, Windfall Data scrapes all publicly available information and other sources to collect data for everyone in the US. They provide an API that allows you to see the estimate net worth and annual income of anyone. You don’t have any privacy when it comes to income.

Invictus0 4y ago

How to freeze your work number (copied from reddit): Create an account using one of your employers (old or new, it doesn't matter). If you have problems with this step, then skip to step 2 and ask the CSR for help with this. Call the customer service at 866-222-5880 (FYI, it helps to call early in the morning when most people are asleep) Choose option 2 for "Report a problem..." Tell the customer service rep (CSR) that you want to freeze your SSN on TWN. Verbally verify that this will keep 3rd parties from accessing the info. At this point, the CSR may try to direct you to the online form, but you need to be firm and say that you want to complete the process over the phone. If they still try to direct you to the online form, say that you will not be satisfied until the process is completed over the phone. I know this can be uncomfortable for some folks to challenge someone like this, but it's the easiest way. At this point, the CSR will ask for personal information including your account name (created in step 1) SSN, DOB, address, email The rep will send you a one-time code using the method of your choice (phone, text, email, mail). I chose text message. Tell them the code verbally over the phone Congrats. Your SSN is now frozen on TWN, preventing 3rd parties from access without your authority. You will receive a confirmation email Optional 8) If your CSR was friendly and helpful, ask to speak with their manager and give them a little praise. Pull a reverse-Karen I prefer this method because it prevents you from having to mail or email any documents and you get instant confirmation and a case number to review your status. The whole process took like 10 minutes over the phone.

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
See also https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze/ https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze/
forgot_old_user 4y ago
>Keep in mind that a freeze could slow down application processes for things like a loan, a job, or social service benefits hmm.. what does that mean? I can be refused a loan if I forget to unfreeze before applying?
- ceejayoz 4y ago
  Refused, or asked to un-freeze. Depends on the banking institution.
- thewebcount 4y ago
  Yes. This nearly happened to my spouse and I. It was such a pain in the ass. We froze our accounts after the Equifax breach. For some reason, I was able to unfreeze mine quickly and easily over the web, but for hers, they refused to do it over the web and insisted on using postal mail. Meanwhile the loan officer was telling us that if we couldn't get it unfrozen, they couldn't guarantee the rate they gave us and the loan could fall through. I forget exactly what happened, but once we received the letter in the mail we were able to call and get it lifted just before the time limit on the loan ran out. I would not want to go through that again. It's a terrible system.

kevin_thibedeau 4y ago

Many states have salary history bans to mitigate this. It doesn't prevent Equifax from doing other things with your salary history but it isn't a factor in seeking employment if you are served by competent legislators.

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
What makes you think discovery of the info is enforced in states that have those laws?
hayst4ck 4y ago
> you are served by competent legislators. Until campaign finance law is reformed, there can be no expectation of competent legislation. In American government, politicians must spend significant amounts of time fundraising. Most of the time, the candidate that is most successful fundraising wins their primary. The general election only involves candidates who won their primary. So before any person gets to vote in a general election, people must vote in a primary election, and before people vote in a primary election, companies get to vote with money in the "fundraising election". If you've ever thought our government is more responsive to money than public opinion, it's because money gets to "vote" on political candidates before anyone else does. Here is Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig's presentation on this very idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy8vTu66tE Here is a related political campaign: https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/ https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/
- BurningFrog 4y ago
  > Most of the time, the candidate that is most successful fundraising wins their primary This is true, but the causality is far less clear. Even without the suggested mechanism, the most popular candidate would be expected to get both the most votes and the most donations. The research on election outcomes says that enough money is needed to make the voters aware of who the candidate is and where they stand on the issues. Beyond that, more money does very little.

petilon 4y ago

This law isn't about helping companies by making your salary history available to them. It is about helping job seekers by making the salary range of the job public, so you know how much to expect and ask for.

harpiaharpyja 4y ago
That's in line with what GP is saying. Companies were already able to get your salary history anyways.
- petilon 4y ago
  Companies were, employees were not. That's why this law is necessary. This evens the playing field.
  - digitaLandscape 4y ago
  - eliseumds 4y ago
    And that's exactly what GP is trying to convey.
    - usefulcat 4y ago
      I've read GP comment three times now and I don't get that meaning at all. Either they did a really bad job, or (more likely) that's not what they were trying to convey.
      - loupol 4y ago
        I personally understood GP comment as vindicating in favor of the law by implicitly trying to preempt those who might argue that this used to be (and should remain) private information. The counterargument it makes is that it isn't private and that the information asymmetry creates a power imbalance that would be curbed by this law. My interpretation may be wrong though, English is not my native language.

Plasmoid 4y ago

Could I buy the salary information for a company?

baby 4y ago

Did you read the article? Your link seems unrelated.

cebert 4y ago

There are several firms that exist that provide income and net worth as a service. For example, Windfall Data scrapes all publicly available information and other sources to collect data for everyone in the US. They provide an API that allows you to see the estimate net worth and annual income of anyone. You don’t have any privacy when it comes to income.