A4 Refereed article in a conference publication

The Hidden Hazards of Job Hunting: Third-Party Services on Job Search Websites




AuthorsVuorinen, Esko; Rauti, Sampsa; Heino, Timi; Lohi, Henna: Rajapaksha, Sammani; Puhtila, Panu

EditorsVasilache, Simona; Kočí, Radek

Conference nameInternational Conference on Software Engineering Advances

Publication year2024

JournalInternational Conference on Software Engineering Advances

Book title ICSEA 2024: The Nineteenth International Conference on Software Engineering Advances

Volume9

First page 32

Last page37

ISBN978-1-68558-194-7

ISSN2308-4235

Web address https://www.thinkmind.org/library/ICSEA/ICSEA_2024/icsea_2024_1_80_10050.html

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/484221870


Abstract

This paper explores third-party services and trackers used on job search websites. We analyze what kind of data on the job search process is sent to these third parties and whether users have a fair possibility to understand what kind of data collection is taking place on the studied websites. Our results show that 87.5% of the studied websites leak data on the user's actions, such as displayed job advertisements, search terms and the intent to apply for a specific position. One job search website could leak data to as many as 9 third parties. Websites run by public sector bodies had significantly less third parties and data leaks, however. While some third parties may be necessary for targeted advertising, it would be important for website maintainers to consider the number of third parties and better inform users about the data protection activities.


Downloadable publication

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.




Funding information in the publication
This research has been funded by Academy of Finland project 327397, IDA – Intimacy in Data-Driven Culture.


Last updated on 2025-29-01 at 13:28