International Screening

NOTE:  ESR does NOT send U. S. applicant information outside of the U.S. for processing.  Once data leaves the U.S., the data is beyond the reach of U.S. privacy laws and there is  no meaningful privacy protections.  ESR believes that firms that send data outside the U.S. put applicants and employers at great risk, for no other reason then to make a little more money.  In some countries, it is a well known fact that U.S. identities are stolen and used for identity theft.  As a practical matter, someone in the U.S. has no ability to hire a lawyer in a foreign country to pursue legal action or contact a foreign police authority to get any action taken.  The only exception is where ESR is asked to perform an international verification and the information resides outside of the U.S.  Even in that situation, ESR goes to great length to protect applicant data. by going directly to the school or employer.  If it is necessary to have a researcher do research in a foreign country, ESR  only releases the minimum information absolutely necessary.  The countries where a researcher may be needed is identified as a Red Zone Country. 

ESR strongly advises all employers to ask a screening firm if they send data outside of the U.S. and to seriously consider the dangers to their hiring processes and to their applicants.