On 15/12/2007, Alison Wheeler wikimedia@alisonwheeler.com wrote:
On Sat, December 15, 2007 06:53, Mike Godwin wrote:
I can confirm that the Foundation has retained an independent firm that conducts criminal background checks, consistent with state and federal law in the USA.
This is, clearly, good and sensible practice. I am, however, noting that http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Job_openings is clearly targeted at a world-wide base of possible applicants. How would a USA-based organisation (such as the firm you have retained) be able to carry out any criminal checks for such applicants outwith the USA? In the case of the UK, and I am sure other European and World countries, such information is not freely available to others than the law enforcement organisations of those countries. Or is it intended that only US-citizens could be accepted for any staff position with the WMF?
You can do background checks ("CRB checks") in the UK. I think you need to person's permission to run it, and I don't know how much detail you get, but you can certainly find out if someone has a criminal record. Whether the US company the WMF has hired knows how to do background checks in other countries, I don't know, but it's certainly possible.