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One (more) thing to opt out of: Freeze Your Data - The Work Number https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze https://employees.theworknumber.com
by anonymars 7mo ago
One (more) thing to opt out of:
Freeze Your Data - The Work Number
https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze
As I understand it, payroll whores your salary out to Equifax*, who then pimps it to others
* Yeah, that one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Equifax_data_breach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Equifax_data_breach
- laweijfmvo 7mo agoI hate that I have to opt out of this stuff that I never signed up for and never would have. I filed the request to freeze, and see that it will require me uploading many more pieces of data to prove identity and address. Disgusting.
- EarthAmbassador 7mo agoIf the credit bureaus don't have a complete profile when you start, they will after provide the missing pieces.
- falcor84 7mo agoI really wouldn't be surprised if that is indeed the goal defined for that workflow's design.
- lateforwork 7mo agoNo they sell it directly: https://theworknumber.com/solutions/industries/pre-employment-verification https://theworknumber.com/solutions/industries/pre-employmen... The Work Number is in fact Equifax.
- xvxvx 7mo agoI worked for Equifax many moons ago. They had a problem with people taking jobs there that no one else wanted, solely to gain access to their systems and reset their own credit scores. And, for some reason, they couldn’t roll it back once found out. Great company.
- EarthAmbassador 7mo ago[dead]
- justaboutanyone 7mo agoHow does that work with multiple credit agencies?
- Gud 7mo agoLife hacks for the 21st century
- OptionOfT 7mo agoI'm filling out the form there. I genuinely don't know why I would ever generate a salary key so I can let someone know how much money I made. Also, to prevent them from sharing the information, you need to give them even more information. Disgusting that this is allowed.
- hdgvhicv 7mo agoAmerican Express just canceled my wife’s card after 15 years because she didn’t fill in her salary data.
- Terr_ 7mo agoHmmm, so if it's a low value and they leak it to employers, that could screw you in compensation for a future job... And if it's a high value, the credit card company might argue you were lying to them for a higher credit limit.
- sokoloff 7mo ago> I genuinely don't know why I would ever generate a salary key so I can let someone know how much money I made. I value my financial privacy as well, but when I go to someone to ask to borrow a million dollars to buy a house, it seems reasonable that I’m going to have to give them some information pertinent to assuring them I’m likely to and capable of paying them back.
- OptionOfT 7mo agoWell, then how did I get a mortgage with the whole thing being empty? W2s are perfectly fine.
- putlake 7mo agoThank you for the link. I tried to opt out. They sent me this email: Equifax Workforce Solutions (provider of The Work Number) has received your employee request communication, but additional information described below is required to fulfill this request. We will be following up with a secure email to obtain the below requested documents: Proof of Identity: Provide a copy of one of the following (must include current/legal name): - Driver's License (must be current) - Paystubs (must be dated within 60 days) - State or Government Identification Card (must be current) - Social Security Card - Military Identification Card - Passport (must be issued from U.S.A. and be current) - W-2 or 1099 Form (most current year) - Birth Certificate Proof of Address: If you are requesting an Employment Data Report (EDR) or selected ‘Mail’ as your preferred method of contact,provide a copy of one of the following (must include current mailing address and be issued within the past 60 days) - Driver's License (must be current) - Paystub - W-2 or 1099 Form (most current year) - Utility Bill (phone, water, gas, electric, trash or sewer, etc.) - Housing Rental Agreement or Mortgage document - your name must be listed on the document For Identity Theft Block Requests, along with Proof of Identity and Proof of Address (if applicable), please provide your identity theft report and designation of items to be blocked: - Identity Theft Report (police report, FTC Identity Theft Report, Police report, or United States Postal Inspection Service) For Human Trafficking Victim Block Requests ONLY, along with Proof of Identity and Proof of Address (if applicable), please provide victim determination documentation (as described below), and designation of items to be blocked. Victim Determination Documentation: Provide a copy of one of the following victim determination documentation confirming that you were a victim of human trafficking, such as: - Determinations made by federal, state, tribal, or local governments, government agencies, or law enforcement - Determinations by non-governmental entities or task forces authorized by a governmental agency to make such a determination - Self-attestation signed or certified by such governmental agency or non-governmental entity - Determination by court in a case where a central issue is whether you are a victim of human trafficking. (Court documents can be made up of several documents from the court case that together show that the court accepted as true or finding no genuine dispute that you were a victim of human trafficking.) We will be following up with a secure email to obtain the requested documents. Data Investigation Team Equifax Workforce Solutions
- saghm 7mo ago
- bjt12345 7mo agoThe thing about this is that there still exist clauses in employment contracts requiring pay secrecy by employees. So, theoretically some employees have a requirement upon them to fill this in.
- YokoZar 7mo agoThose requirements are all facially illegal and unenforceable though. In the US you have federally protected labor rights that you cannot contract out of. The right to discuss pay and working conditions with other workers and the public is one of them.
- b112 7mo agoYes, imagine being in breach of contract if you apply for a mortgage, and they ask "What do you do" and "How much do you make a year" and "Can we see a pay stub (or income tax info)". Such clauses are inane beyond the legality of it.
- lazide 7mo agoGuess what agency has been gutted and attacked recently? EEOC recently….
- joquarky 7mo agoYeah, and have you seen what lawyers want for a retainer these days? You have to be rich to defend your rights now.
- avaer 7mo agoI love that it's a freeze not a purge. And that it's opt-out to have surreptitiously collected data being used against your livelihood. The data breach should have been reason enough to ban Equifax and force them to destroy their data. But that can only be done when the government works for the people, instead of money.
- oyebenny 7mo ago[flagged]
- delusional 7mo agoAs a European, it is wild to see a private company warning that disallowing them the ability to process your personal data might hinder your ability to access social services.
- Glawen 7mo agoHave a look at german Schufa company. I was there pre RGPD, so maybe things have changed.
- izacus 7mo agoThere's a small law called GDPR which makes this kind of pulls very illegal. Even for Schufa which doesn't forward your direct data.
- kpcyrd 7mo agoThis is "only" used for loans and renting, the German government is never going to query the score this company has assigned you. Social services are never impacted. Equifax on the other hand claims: > Social Services - When government agencies can't verify your information, you may have to wait longer to start receiving benefits.
- wat10000 7mo agoThe German government probably actually knows who all of its citizens are.
- dranudin 7mo agoI very much hate Schufa for the way they calculate your score (which until very recently was not even disclosed). But hey, at least they don't sell my income data to random private companies. In fact they do not have my income. Just credit related stuff. I demand an overview from them every 3 months that they have to physically mail to me, just to annoy them..
- carlosjobim 7mo agoAs a European, your complete tax records might be public information, and the tax authority itself will have a service number which anybody can call to get information on your income and much more.
- exabrial 7mo ago> Job Applications > Employers may delay making a job offer if they cannot verify your data on The Work Number. If by doing this, can employers legally discriminate against you?
- hailvectron 7mo agoThe "best" part of the "The Work Number" is your employer can opt you in without any notification. The last time I worked for someone else's company, I specifically asked before I started if they shared my salary info with any credit agencies. The HR rep: "No we do not!" Guess what? They, or likely their payroll provider (ADP?) did. I am now a partner in a consultancy. Despite my prior comments, we have still not yet gotten off Gusto. Pasted from a July 2024 e-mail Gusto sent me: We are making updates to our Payroll Terms of Service to address relevant laws and regulations and include information about new products and features, including our new employment and income verification feature. The updated terms will go into effect for current customers on July 31, 2024. You can review the full updated terms here. The new employment and income verification feature When your employees apply for loans, credit cards, or public aid they may be required to provide proof of employment and income and, as the employer, you often need to manually provide verifications during the approval process. With this update, you can save time and help your employees get faster access by automating employment and income verifications through our new partnership with The Work Number®. No action is needed from you. This benefit is included in your current Gusto payroll subscription and there are no additional fees. As the employer, you can choose to turn off this new feature in the Settings tab at any time. The feature will be available on July 31, 2024. Learn more > Thank you for choosing Gusto! So my team, none of whom were ever explicitly asked for their consent to share their salary info, were about to have Gusto helpfully share it for them. Thanks Gusto! I (angrily) opted my company out, but I'm probably the only partner in the company who would have gone out of their way to do that.