According to German intelligence sources, LinkedIn is now the latest social media network to have been exploited for clandestine political purposes, with China facing accusations it used the platform for espionage.

Germany’s security agency, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), claims that up to 10,000 fake LinkedIn accounts may have been created with the aim of enticing high-ranking German political and economic leaders to become informants.

Many of the fake accounts are made to represent young and promising Chinese professionals, such as “Allen Liu” — a supposed human resources manager at an economic consultancy — and “Lily Wu” — an employee working for a think tank in eastern China.

So far China has not responded to the claims, although it has refuted similar suggestions in the past.

It seems the BfV believes the target of these fake accounts is primarily German workers in government ministries, with BfV head Hans-Georg Maassen stating:

“This is a broad-based attempt to infiltrate in particular parliaments, ministries and government agencies.”

If this accusation is true, then LinkedIn joins a long line of social media platforms that have been exploited for political gain. Facebook has recently been at the center of controversy regarding Russian state sponsored ‘fake news’ during the recent US elections, while YouTube and Wikipedia is similarly struggling to deal with so-called ‘web brigades’ — groups of paid ‘trolls’ who promote various political ideologies on open internet platforms.

Of course, the very things which make these sites useful and popular, they’re free and open nature, is also what makes them attractive tools for nefarious government agencies. LinkedIn may be particularly attractive primarily due to its high status users and the fact it is one of the few social networks not to be banned in China. Although technical solutions, for example public verification systems (perhaps even a blockchain approach?), could help prevent this kind of abuse in the future, for the time being the best defense appears to be old-fashioned vigilance.

Maassen advised any individuals who thought they had been affected by fake accounts to contact the BfV.

Source: BBC

News and analysis from the latest in HR Tech

Today we go live with HSJ | Hiring Success Journal 2.0 with one simple belief: when it comes to business success, people are what matter.

“Hiring success is business success and that’s why we need to think about smarter recruitment”

Hiring success is business success and that’s why we need to think about smarter recruitment. You are who you hire. It’s all about people. It’s as simple as it is true. In our time of accelerating change, a company’s ability to source the right talent, and to do so at scale, will ever more determine its path – whether it ultimately leads towards growth or failure.

Our platform will be a news and information resource for professionals interested and involved in the world of HR Tech and in the coming years that will be everyone. It’s becoming increasingly clear in the popular conscience that the difference between success and failure for companies of the future will be their ability to attract, select, and hire the right people on demand and on a budget.

“Companies need people who understand the digital landscape of now”

It is no longer an option to lean on patent holding or even capital to ensure the longevity of a company. Companies need people. People who understand the digital landscape of now and can adapt a business to the ever faster innovation cycles that are driving the economy forward.

This means that the way companies retain these top performing employees is becoming evermore strategic. With the advent of sophisticated Applicant Tracking Systems employers can hire the best people in less time at a lower cost. Gone are the days of post and pray, companies who want to move forward won’t have that luxury.

ATS not only increases hiring velocity and overall hiring success, it allows companies to engage reliable matrixes and analytics to quantify the major return that comes from successful hiring prompting serious investment in recruitment.And now that the investment is there the research is following with contributions across disciplines that will transform how we recruit forever.

“SRHSJ will be the vanguard of HR Tech news documenting and unraveling the intricacies, innovations, possibilities and latest news from across disciplines”

HSJ will be the vanguard of HR Tech news documenting and unraveling the intricacies, innovations, possibilities and latest news from across disciplines. We present you with topical content from key categories in the HR Tech World. Hiring success — demonstrates how companies get the right people at the right time, Customer Success — shares stories from customers who have used ATS to grow their business and find the right people, Future of Work — focuses on the latest in innovations that will affect the way we work going into the future, Recruiting Hacks — showcases research for on the ground HR professionals to build purposeful Customer Relationship Management systems that translate to successful hires, Product Tips — delves into the full potential of SmartRecruiters with the creators of the product, and Inside SmartRecruiters — keeps you up to date on the latest from inside our company.

Expect insights into new candidate demographics as with Taylor Sternberg’s new piece Recruiters: Get Ready for Gen Z. They’re Not What You Think, breakdowns of the latest data like Jennifer Goode’s in depth article about the new data privacy law coming into effect next year  TA Leaders: Are You GDPR-Ready? and it’s affect on your bottom line, podcasts on the trials of the candidate experience with To Whom it May Concern from fellow Smartian Charlie Nelson, and up to date news from leading industry conferences like Carly Todd’s preview of HRTWA 2017 in SmartRecruiters Hits the Stage at HR Tech World Amsterdam.

We leave you with this thought: as of today a company can expect 3.5 times more growth through better recruitment and if that’s the case where does that leave your company on the spectrum of success? Think of your goals as a company and how attainable they are with the right people.

We welcome your engagement! Comment below with a topic you would like to read about.