Joberate is the name of this new tracking device. The Washington Post reports the software "tracks an individual's job search activity in public social media accounts [and] is quietly — and some would say creepily — calculating a score it says helps represent how likely each one is to be looking for a job."

The software "thinks" like a suspicious human resources manager: It zeros in on messages that have to do with resume writing, company descriptions, career advice sites and such, and also picks up on those who are suddenly adding new connections on LinkedIn. Then, this thinking machinery churns out a "J-Score," the Post says, which gives the user an estimate of how actively the person is looking for new work.

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Does this raise privacy issues? Joberate's founder, predictably, doesn't think so.

Michael Beygelman, also the CEO, says Joberate's software only scrapes what's already public. Those who set their searches and postings to "private" can't be sniffed out, so the software is more of a very nosy neighbor than an identify thief. It's just one more tool that HR can use in the talent war.

"Society has been able to quantify a lot of things about life events," Beygelman told the Post. "One thing we don't really have much understanding of is job search activity. Whenever someone resigned, it was a shock: 'Oh my god, Mary's leaving.'"

The software tends to validate those fuddy-duddies who have long railed against the "post-everything" attitude, generally associated with younger workers.

"I think there's much greater recognition among consumers that what you post to social media, if it's not set to being private, can be seen by others," Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, told the Post. "I don't think there's as much awareness that a click stream can be seen by other entities."

As the Post article notes, Joberate is just one of a slew of social media and data crunching innovations that are profiling workers in the hopes that their "J-Scores" will attract corporate clients. Meantime, if you're looking, know that Big Brother's henchman — big data — may be peeking over your shoulder as you job search.