Commenting on the announcement that the Information Commissioner is to prosecute a firm

Commenting on the announcement that the Information Commissioner is to prosecute a firm selling personal data about construction workers, David Coats, associate director of policy at The Work Foundation, said:

ëThe practice of blacklisting is objectionable on legal, moral and practical grounds. Individuals have a legal right to know that their personal data is being collected for these purposes and must be able to challenge obvious inaccuracies. A fair labour market depends on everyone having the opportunity to gain employment based on their skills, talents and capabilities. How can fairness be guaranteed when employers rule some applicants out for ësecretí reasons which often have nothing whatsoever to do with whether they can do the job?

ëPractical experience tells us that these blacklists have always been compiled using eccentric criteria and are often based on little more than hearsay and prejudice. Dodgy data cannot be used to make good employment decisions. Businesses must understand too that their reputations as employers of choice are written off when blacklisting practices are made public.í