Obama Wants Your Credit Score

Headline

The document attributed to the Obama Transition Foundation does not contain the word "score."

Further, the company providing the consumer reports emphatically states, "ChoicePoint does not offer credit scores for purposes of employment-related background checks and no reputable background screening company or employer uses credit scores as part of the hiring process."

Geg Fisher of OH @ Nov 16, 2008 10:22:02 AM

This could be discriminatory

While I get that a certain level of vetting is important in the hiring process, rejecting applicants because of poor credit scores is sure to have a discriminatory effect on the very people that Obama claims to want to help. Anyone affected by the economic meltdown who has found themselves in foreclosure or unable to make ends meet will be screened out. The impact of this discriminatory treatment will disproportionately affect people of color, single parents, students and recent graduates.

Screening blog posts is also troubling. True, you don't want to hire someone into a sensitive position only to find that they've been spewing hate from some obscure blog but there are many other ways of vetting applicants and weeding out the crackpots. Another troubling question is, how do you decide (and who will decide) what's unacceptable commentary on a blog or other web forum - especially after the heated commentary that was generated by the recent campaign.

I think that vetting criminal records is fine. Credit records and consumer habits should be a complete non-starter.

jordana @ Nov 15, 2008 12:36:44 PM