What Is a Social Media Check? A Guide for Employers

A social media check is a structured review of online information associated with a candidate or employee, usually carried out as part of a wider pre-employment screening process.

For appropriate roles, it can help an employer identify potentially relevant online content that may warrant further consideration before an appointment is made.

However, social media screening should not be used simply to discover as much personal information as possible about a candidate.

UK data-protection guidance expects employers to identify a specific reason for the check, ensure the screening is necessary and proportionate, tell the candidate what will happen and avoid relying on online information alone when making recruitment decisions.

What Does a Social Media Check Look For?

The scope should be agreed before screening begins.

Rather than conducting unrestricted searches, a structured check can focus on defined categories that are relevant to the responsibilities or risks associated with the position.

Depending on the role and agreed scope, this may include content associated with:

• Hate speech
• Extremist material
• Threats or violent content
• Abusive or toxic language
• Drugs
• Weapons or firearms
• Potentially inappropriate content
• Specific keywords relevant to the appointment

The purpose is to identify material for further review.

A flagged post does not automatically establish misconduct, poor character or unsuitability for employment.

Why Do Employers Use Social Media Screening?

Social media screening may be considered where an employer can identify a particular risk that justifies looking beyond conventional verification.

Examples may include some:

• Senior leadership appointments
• Public-facing positions
• Safeguarding roles
• Security-sensitive positions
• Roles involving confidential information
• Reputationally sensitive appointments
• Regulated or high-responsibility positions

The reason should relate to the role.

A general desire to know more about an applicant is unlikely to justify intrusive vetting.

The ICO advises organisations to identify and document the specific risk that a social media check is intended to address.

What Is the Difference Between a Social Media Check and Googling a Candidate?

An informal online search and a structured social media screening process are not the same thing.

A recruiter searching a candidate's name may encounter a large amount of irrelevant personal information, including information relating to:

• Religion
• Political opinions
• Health
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Relationships
• Family life
• Other protected or sensitive matters

That can create unnecessary bias and data-protection risk.

A professional screening process should instead begin with a defined purpose and predefined search criteria.

The aim is to separate potentially relevant information from material that has no legitimate connection to the recruitment decision.

The ICO specifically recommends that, where social media research is undertaken, the person conducting that research should not also be the person making the recruitment decision.

Is Social Media Screening Objective?

No screening process should be described as completely objective.

Technology can improve consistency by applying predefined categories across a large volume of information, but automated tools still require interpretation.

A system may flag a word, image or association without understanding its full context.

For example, somebody may:

• Quote another person's offensive statement
• Discuss extremist material for academic or professional reasons
• Report on violence
• Share an image in order to criticise it
• Use language sarcastically
• Be incorrectly associated with another person's account

A technology-generated flag should therefore be treated as a prompt for review, not as proof of misconduct.

Human assessment and context remain important.

Can Employers Check Public Social Media Profiles?

Yes, but simply because information is publicly available does not mean an employer can use it without restriction.

The employer should still have a legitimate and proportionate reason for the search.

Candidates should also be informed that social media vetting will form part of the process.

The ICO currently advises that employers using public social media should identify and document a specific risk and ensure the check is relevant to the role.

The screening should focus on information relevant to that purpose rather than collecting everything that can be found.

What About Private Social Media Content?

This requires considerably more caution.

Conflict International's screening technology has the technical capability to review supported non-public or private profile content where the candidate has expressly authorised the relevant access.

However, technical capability does not automatically make that level of screening appropriate.

The employer must still consider whether accessing non-public information is necessary, lawful and proportionate to the particular position.

Current ICO guidance states that intrusive or targeted checking of social media information that is not publicly available using specialist software is unlikely to be lawful, appropriate or necessary in many recruitment circumstances.

Candidate authorisation should therefore not be treated as a blanket justification for accessing private information.

Nor should social media screening involve bypassing privacy settings, improperly obtaining passwords or covertly gaining access to a candidate's account.

Do Candidates Need to Know About Social Media Screening?

Yes.

Transparency is an important part of pre-employment vetting.

Candidates should be told that social media screening will take place and, where appropriate, should understand:

• What information is being sought
• Why the screening is required
• The process being used
• Who will receive the findings
• How long relevant information will be retained
• Which sources may be used

The ICO currently expects employers to provide this information as part of their transparency obligations.

What Happens When Potentially Concerning Content Is Found?

Online information should not automatically determine a recruitment decision.

The employer should first consider whether:

• The account genuinely belongs to the candidate
• The information is authentic
• The content has been interpreted correctly
• The material is relevant to the position
• The information is sufficiently recent to matter
• There is a legitimate explanation
• The candidate should be invited to comment

The ICO says candidates should be given an opportunity to explain discrepancies or comment on information identified during vetting. Employers should not simply assume that an individual has been dishonest or unsuitable.

This is especially important with social media because posts can be misleading when separated from their original context.

Can Social Media Checks Reveal a Candidate's Character?

They can provide information about specific online activity.

They cannot provide a complete or definitive assessment of somebody's character.

A social media profile may represent only one part of a person's life.

It may also be:

• Incomplete
• Out of date
• Satirical
• Impersonated
• Taken out of context
• Managed jointly
• Incorrectly attributed

Employers should therefore avoid treating social media screening as a psychological profile or a prediction of future behaviour.

The purpose is to identify relevant factual material for further consideration.

How Far Back Does a Social Media Check Go?

There is no universal period that every social media check should cover.

The available history depends on factors including:

• The platform
• Account age
• Privacy settings
• Deleted content
• Changes to platform access
• The agreed scope
• The technology being used

Employers should also consider whether very old material remains relevant to the position.

A ten-year-old post may need to be assessed very differently from recent conduct.

For that reason, Conflict International should not describe social media screening as providing a guaranteed complete history of every account.

How Is Social Media Information Reported?

A structured screening report should provide enough information for the employer to understand a relevant finding in context.

Depending on the screening technology and available information, this may include:

• Content identified
• Relevant risk category
• Platform
• Date
• Source reference or link
• Context around the finding
• Screening outcome

The report provides information for the employer to assess.

It does not make the recruitment decision.

What Information Should Not Be Used?

Employers should be particularly cautious where social media screening reveals information that is irrelevant to the role or relates to protected characteristics.

A candidate should not be disadvantaged because a search happens to reveal information about matters such as:

• Religion or belief
• Race
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Gender reassignment
• Age

The fact that such information is visible online does not make it relevant to employment.

A structured screening process can help reduce the amount of irrelevant information reaching the people responsible for the hiring decision.

How Long Should Social Media Screening Data Be Kept?

Employers should not retain vetting information indefinitely.

Current ICO guidance says information obtained specifically for pre-employment vetting should be deleted when it is no longer necessary, and organisations should address retention and disposal within their policies.

It may be appropriate to retain a record of the screening outcome or recruitment decision without retaining every piece of underlying personal information.

The correct retention period will depend on the employer's purpose, legal obligations and data-protection arrangements.

Is Social Media Screening Part of a Background Check?

It can be.

Social media screening is normally most useful as one component of a broader Pre-Employment Screening programme.

Depending on the role, that programme may also include:

• Identity verification
• Right to Work checks
• Employment-history verification
• Qualification checks
• DBS screening
• BPSS screening
• SMCR vetting
• Credit checks where appropriate
• International background verification

Each check should have a defined purpose.

The employer should not simply add more checks because the information is technically available.

Social Media Checks From Conflict International

Conflict International provides specialist Social Media Checks for organisations requiring structured online screening for appropriate appointments.

Our technology can search supported social media platforms against predefined risk categories and produce reports for employer review.

Where the technology supports access to non-public content, this is considered only where the candidate has expressly authorised the relevant access and the employer has established an appropriate basis for that level of screening.

Conflict International provides screening information.

The employer remains responsible for determining whether social media vetting is necessary and proportionate and for making the final recruitment decision.

Considering Social Media Screening?

If your organisation is considering social media screening for senior, sensitive, regulated, safeguarding or reputationally important appointments, Conflict International can discuss the appropriate scope and how the check can fit within a wider screening programme.

Complete the enquiry form below to discuss your Social Media Screening requirements.