Law360, New York (January 28, 2009) -- Employers are increasingly turning to Google and social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to conduct background checks on job applicants and employees. A recent survey by Vault of 350 employers found that 44 percent of employers use social-networking sites to examine the profiles of job candidates, and 39 percent have looked up the profile of a current employee.
Some find this trend surprising and even troubling. But for employers who face liability for negligent hiring and retention, reviewing the information available on social-networking sites and personal blogs is...
