Privacy Policy

Additional Privacy Information

Privacy Policy: ESR is a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) that prepares Consumer Reports for authorized employers under the provisions of the the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).  The ESR Privacy policy is very simple: ESR only collects applicant data pursuant to written Authorization and Disclosure under the FCRA and only disseminates consumer reports to employers as directed in the written authorization. In other words, data is only collected and distributed at the direction and authorization of consumers . The data is maintained in a secured site. All data is the property of the consumer. ESR maintains strict policies and procedures in all aspects of its operation to protect the privacy of consumers.

1.This web site collects personally identifiable information online from individuals in the following ways:

a. A potential customer has the opportunity to e-mail this site in order to obtain information about our services.  Any information given to this site is completely in the control of the third party who chooses to do so. 

b.  A person may choose to sign-up for a newsletter that explicitly requires opt-in. Each newsletter provides the ability of a person to opt-out very easily by hitting a button at the bottom of each newsletter. 

This site does not engage in any passive information techniques.

2.  No information provided to this site through e-mail or any other method is ever released, utilized or shared with anyone else, including, but not limited to, third parties or affiliates. 

3. The ESRnet online system is a separate web site that is only available to ESR customers and is utilized as a means for ESR to receive orders from authorized employers and to transmit information to and from authorized users.   However, all such usage is strictly between ESR and business entities whose legitimate need for the information and permissible purpose has been verified pursuant to section 607(a) of the FCRA which states: 

(a) Identity and purposes of credit users. Every consumer reporting agency shall maintain reasonable procedures designed to avoid violations of section 605 [§ 1681c] and to limit the furnishing of consumer reports to the purposes listed under section 604 [§ 1681b] of this title. These procedures shall require that prospective users of the information identify themselves, certify the purposes for which the information is sought, and certify that the information will be used for no other purpose. Every consumer reporting agency shall make a reasonable effort to verify the identity of a new prospective user and the uses certified by such prospective user prior to furnishing such user a consumer report. No consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report to any person if it has reasonable grounds for believing that the consumer report will not be used for a purpose listed in section 604.

4. All data on the ESRnet system is protected by Secure access, ensuring "for-your-eyes-only" data exchange. Viewing of information is restricted to the users and customers that should have it with state of the art security, encryption and password protection. The Privacy and Integrity of all information is fully protected. All employees who have access to any information from this site have signed privacy agreements and are regularly trained in privacy practices and procedures. 

5 . Information is retained pursuant to the FCRA for a minimum of six (6)years. The method for a consumer to opt-out of ESR obtaining information is to not consent to a pre-employment background screening with a prospective or current employer. Once a consumer has consented to such a screening, ESR must retain information on file for US residents for the six (6) year period. 

6. Any consumer may exercise their right to inspect any data about them and to object to any data pursuant to the FCRA and applicable state law. See a " Summary of Your Rights " prepared by the Federal Trade Commission.

7. Any questions or concerns about Privacy should be directed to custserv@esrcheck.com  ESR will make all reasonable efforts to address a consumer's concerns. If the matter cannot be resolved by ESR, then a consumer has additional rights.  See " Summary of Your Rights. "

8.  ESR reserves the right to modify or change its privacy policy .  All such changes will be posted on this page. 

Safe Harbor Provisions of Privacy Policy

Employment Screening Resources (hereafter “service) hereby confirms our strong policy to protect and maintain the privacy and personal data that we assemble and maintain on behalf of employers concerning consumers. In that regard, we certify that we comply with the “Safe Harbor” principles of the United States Department of Commerce, in relation to personal data collected in the European Union. We endorse and follow the principles and practices outlined in the seven principals of the European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection. This service is compliant with the Department of Commerce for the Safe Harbor program. The certification is in the name of Integrity Support Services, Inc, dba Employment Screening Resources.  We fulfill our obligation under the seven principals in the following manner:

1. Notice
   
   This service collects information on individuals for the purpose of providing the information to employers for employment related decisions. The information may also be provided to agents of employers such as recruiters or staffing firms. The data that is collected on individuals is used to provide employers with employment background checks and credentials verification on potential job applicants or current employees. The information is used by employers to make decisions on who to hire, retain, promote or re-assign. It may also be utilized to conduct employee investigations where an employer has a suspicion of work related misconduct or wrongdoing, or an issue arises as to employee compliance with Federal, State, or local laws and regulations, or any employer policies. Human resources and security professionals within employer organizations will utilize the information.
   
   This notice covers human resources data that is obtained manually by this service on behalf of employers. The data is obtained by manually contacting the appropriate sources of the data.
   
   A consumer may find out more about the nature and scope of any inquiry that is made about them by contacting this service through the contact links on this web site.
   
   
2. Choice (opt-out of sensitive Information)
   
   This service gives consumers a choice for the collection of information by virtue of the fact that the information is only collected with the consumer's explicit consent. Choice is further afforded by the fact that this service only operates when a consumer explicitly identifies those past employers, educational institutions, or other credential granting organizations that are identified by the consumer. Furthermore the information collected is only utilized for the purpose described above in the section on “Notice.” In the event a consumer wishes to opt-out of any use of information collected by this service, a consumer can notify this service through the contact link on this web site that permission or any use of the data is withdrawn. That does not mean that if a consumer opts-out that the data is erased or deleted. Various laws require that this service maintain the data on file for a consumer for a period of time for the protection of the consumer, which in the case of data collected for employers in the United Sates is six years as a result of the statute of limitations required under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. However, in the event of an opt-out, the data will not be forwarded or utilized by this service for any purpose.
   
   
3. Onward Transfer
   
   The information obtained by this site is forwarded only to an entity that has been authorized by a consumer to receive the data. or an agent of the end user operating on behalf of the end-user. The information is only provided to the employer for purpose described in the section under “Notice.” This site may also operate as an agent for a Consumer Reporting Agency as defined under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). In either event, the employer or the CRA must certify that the information will be used only for the permissible purpose of employment and that the information will remain private and confidential. This site also takes reasonable steps to insure that any party that receives such information has certified that it will maintain privacy and confidentiality and will utilize the information for employment only. By definition, any third party that receives information from this site has given a consumer notice as to the purposes of the collection of the data and a charge of whether the data is to be collected by virtue of the fact that an employer must obtain a written consent to obtain and use any data obtained by this site.

4. Access


This site provides access to consumers on all data collected about a consumer in order to allow a consumer the reasonable opportunity to ascertain what personal data this service possesses about a consumer, and to correct, amend or delete information that is inaccurate or incomplete. Disclosure is provided under the terms of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Under certain circumstances, a consumer is entitled to a free coy of their report. Under all circumstances, a consumer is entitled to a copy of their report under the terms of the FCRA. For a citizen of the EU, this service reserves the right to charge an administrative fee not to exceed $15 to cover the cost of reviewing our records to determine if a consumer is in our file, and the administrative cost of obtaining and forwarding any information. However, the service also reserves the right to engage in reasonable efforts to confirm the identity of anyone requesting data, so that we only provide data to the consumer that is the subject of the data.

Although we make every effort to ensure that the data we collect and store about you is as accurate as possible, this service cannot guarantee that third parties are accurate in information that is transmitted and therefore we are not responsible for the data. We are not responsible for the accuracy of data about you that may be supplied by any other third-party sources of information or our clients.

5. Security

This service takes all reasonable procedures to protect personal and identifiable information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. The service utilizes SSL encryption to protect sensitive information online. We also do everything in our power to protect user information off-line. All of our users' information, not just the sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted in our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information. Strong password protection protocols are used on all computers. Furthermore, all employees are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices. Finally, the servers that are used to store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment, with appropriate security measures.

If you have any questions about the security of our service, you can send an email to the contact links on this web site.

6. Data Integrity

This service only collects data that is strictly necessary for the purposes listed under the section on “Notice.” The data includes information that is necessary to identify the consumer for purposes of collecting employment related information

7.  Enforcement

This service verifies adherence to the EU Safe Harbor Policy by means of in-house verification by the management of this company. In addition, we provide a readily available and affordable independent recourse mechanisms by which each individual's complaints and disputes are investigated and resolved by reference to the Principles and damages awarded where the applicable law or private sector initiatives so provide.  This firm is a member of the BBBonline® Online Privacy Program and Relaiblity Program.

 

Your privacy is important to us. By participating in the Council of Better Business Bureau's BBB OnLine (® Privacy Program we have made a commitment to meet the programs' strict requirements regarding how we treat your information and have it verified by BBB OnLine . Further information about this program is available at http://www.bbbonline.org .