The following August 28 blog post inspired the Law360 article, “Employers Should Be Wary Of Turning Over Employee Info,” published on October 5, 2017. See full article below.

When a government agency requests the contact information for a company’s employees, whether by subpoena, CID or otherwise, its knee-jerk reaction may be to produce the data without a second thought. After all, failing to comply with an agency’s information request can have serious consequences, including significant fines and attorneys’ fees. However, employers are also obligated to protect their employees’ personal information from improper disclosure. In fact, most states have passed data privacy and security laws to protect employees’ personal information against unauthorized use and identity theft. A recent ruling authored by a Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge offers some tips to employers facing demands for their employees’ confidential personal information.[1]

In July, ALJ Steven Berlin ruled that the DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance’s demand for employee contact information from Google was overbroad and intrusive on employee privacy. The OFCCP requested the name, address, telephone number and personal e-mail address of over 25,000 Google employees in connection with an audit of the tech giant’s compensation practices. Judge Berlin substantially limited the OFCCP’s request, citing a number of employee privacy concerns.
Continue Reading Lessons for Employers from a Recent ALJ Decision Narrowing the DOL’s Requests for Employees’ Contact Information