The United States Senate approved a comprehensive bill in recent weeks related to immigration reform that will hold American businesses accountable in more ways than one. Specifically, President George W. Bush proposed the following accountability on the part of employers:

• Utilization of the online verification system known as Basic Pilot which allows employers to confirm the eligibility of new hires by checking the information provided on his/her employment application against Federal databases. Such a verification system would detect if personal information such as one’s Social Security Number (SSN) or date of birth matched with the individual applicant being verified. Currently, immigration enforcement agents with the Department of Homeland Security are not informed when the Social Security Administration discovers a mismatch between a worker and the SSN he or she provides.
• Creation of a novice identification card for legal foreign workers, which would incorporate biometric technology including digital fingerprints in order to help make the card less susceptible to unauthorized tampering. Such a card would in return signify to employers that the applicant is who he in fact says he is, and is working in the United States legally.
• Stiffening the penalties for those employers who not only violate the law by knowingly employ illegal workers, but those who repeatedly violate the law would then be subjected to hefty fines. You can learn more about the above mentioned Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation, and the various viewpoints that surround this topic. Simply log in to the search engine of your choice and type in “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/immigration/

The benefits of employees working from home for both employers and employees are well cited. Employer benefits include: increased productivity; reduced absenteeism, sickness, and stress; increased employee morale, commitment, and retention; and cost savings. Employee benefits are perhaps more obvious: greater flexibility in work hours; ability to devote more time to life outside of work; no commute. The lists go on and on. However, employers are swiftly beginning to realize the potential risks associated with allowing employees to work from home — particularly those requiring the access and use of sensitive customer, employee, and student information.

We regularly see headlines reporting incidents of identity theft and the compromise of personal identifying information. Major organizations with hundreds of thousands of customers have been impacted by the loss or theft of unprotected information contained on employee laptops. The U.S. Veteran’s Administration, Fidelity Investments, and MCI Inc. are just a few who have faced the public relations nightmare that such compromises become and the costs associated are often intangible and incalculable.

Many of today’s data protection measures are technological in nature including sophisticated encryption methodologies. However, such measures are often not enough to completely secure sensitive identifying information. The tough lessons learned by the organizations above reveal some hidden threats associated with allowing employees to work from home. Many organizations do not have policies existing governing the appropriate handling of confidential information and the consequences associated with a breach of those policies. Even if policies exist, employees are often not made aware of or trained regarding their employer’s policies and expectations regarding data management. Employers invest a lot of time, energy, and resources in their most valuable asset—their employees. However, organizations must recognize the importance of remaining connected and committed to communication, especially with those employees who routinely work from home or carry a company-issued laptop containing confidential information.

While many employers have used credit scores to help screen applicants and determine their eligibility for employment, they are the principal tool lenders and other financial institutions use to determine credit worthiness. In addition, insurers, landlords, and even some healthcare providers also use them.

Despite this increasing use and availability, the majority of Americans still do not know their credit score. Until 2001, credit scores were a closely guarded secret kept by credit bureaus. That all changed when Fair Isaac, the research firm that owns the mathematical formula used to calculate FICO scores, began allowing consumers to see their score. Consumers can now buy their credit score at Fair Isaac's website, www.MyFICO.com as well as other services, such as credit score monitoring, which provides credit score alerts when one’s score changes so that improvement can be tracked for the purposes of refinancing or purchasing.

Employers, too, look differently at applicants with low scores. Imagine how many employers ask themselves the following question when considering a candidate with a low score: "If a low score suggests the applicant has had difficulty managing their money, how can I expect them to handle our money better than their own?" On the other hand, an incorrect score could cause an employer to disqualify an otherwise qualified candidate. While credit bureaus hesitate to say how many of their records are possibly inaccurate, consumer groups say the number is significant.

Tip: If you suspect your FICO or credit report is inaccurate, report the discrepancy to one or more of the credit bureaus (see second article). By law, only employers, not lenders, are not required to help credit an error.

Security News Headlines is written and distributed for the reading pleasure of our clients and friends. We encourage recipients to forward electronic copies (in original form) onto others. But please remember, the contents and all articles are copyrighted and the property of Business Controls, Inc. If you would like to cite or use our material for personal or commercial purposes please contact us first. Thank you.

MySafeCampus™ is your personal 24-hour incident reporting hotline for colleges and universities.

Now you can market your organization, services and products with customized, professional electronic newsletters.

Free Security News: Sign up for our free monthly email newsletter.