Ollie Robinson case highlights need for social media checks on key staff

The furore surrounding cricketer Ollie Robinson’s suspension by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) highlights the need for social media background checks on key staff, according to a tech company, which specialises in online screening. Neotas says the whole incident could have been avoided by the type of screening that is used routinely in many other businesses.

Vipul Mishra, CEO of Neotas, says: “A social media background check would have flagged the posts in question and would cost be cost-effective to complete for new and existing players alike. The reputation of a sports club – or any organisation – is inextricably linked to its people. To avoid reputational damage, it is important to identify such risks at an early stage.”

Neotas uses machine learning and open source intelligence techniques to carry out online searches in a way that is fully compliant with data protection and employment laws.

“It is important that organisations recruiting for key roles are aware of any potential issues,” adds Vipul. “They can then make informed decisions and manage the risk. Screening should not be limited to senior managers, but used for anyone in a position of responsibility and ideally staff at all levels.”

“Many people will have made an inappropriate comment online at some point or posted an embarrassing photograph and in most cases, it would be unfair for it to jeopardise their future career,” adds Vipul. “The questions is – is there material that could damage your reputation? And is it harmless stuff or are there indications of something more sinister such as aggressive behaviour or extremist views? The company needs to decide what is and is not acceptable. Having a policy in place allows you to make decisions on these cases in a fair and consistent manner.”

In many organisations, the HR team try to carry out social media checks themselves, but there are a number of problems with this, warns Vipul.  “It takes a vast amount of time to scroll through years of Twitter posts and check all relevant social channels and online chatrooms, and candidates may have profiles under different names.

“There is also the risk that by carrying out checks in-house you could be breaching privacy rules and staff could be exposed to sensitive personal information about the individual that could create unconscious bias on their part and hence the risk of discrimination. By using a professional screening service, it ensures you receive all the information you need but in a way that is fully compliant with privacy and employment legislation.”

Neotas, which is one of the very few companies that can support searches in over 100 different languages, accesses information that is openly available online, although it may be hard for untrained staff to find. All results are checked by trained staff to remove any false positives. All procedures are compliant with GDPR legislation and the company is accredited to the international ISO 27701 privacy standard.