Protecting employee privacy during politically polarized times

Violence fueled by polarization is not new. In the early 1970s, extreme anti-Vietnam War activist groups felt justified in taking violent action against the US government by bombing government offices, police stations, and recruitment centers.

Although this kind of domestic terrorism is much rarer today, polls show that our nation is every bit as politically polarized as it was during the notoriously divisive Vietnam era. However, for groups and individuals who want to take violent action based on domestic politics or geopolitical events like the conflict in Gaza, today’s targets are more likely to be individual citizens and companies than faceless institutions.

Look at the discourse on any social media platform (X, Facebook, and even LinkedIn) around trending topics and events, and you will find ongoing “information warfare.” On these public forums, private citizens can find their information made public, often with an aggressive “call to action.”

This can happen to individuals because of their jobs, too. When a company fires an employee due to a politically driven comment, its executives can become clear targets for anyone who takes umbrage with their assumed political position.

Since many attacks on individual employees are made possible through this kind of personal information exposure, personal data removal is an important first step to protect your workforce from retaliation in times of crisis.

How personal information removal reduces geopolitical risk

The kind of attacks your employees are likely to face as a result of their, or their employers, political opinions are probably going to involve doxing and online harassment.

When, recently, students at a well-known US university wrote an anonymous politically charged letter, their names were quickly dug up and shared online, and their siblings back home were threatened. Meanwhile, on social media, aggrieved individuals suggested doxing all the board members at prestigious US universities in retaliation.

These threats hinge on bad actors and groups being able to find employees’ or executives’ personal details, such as their names, home addresses, and employment information.

Unfortunately, this kind of data isn’t difficult to locate. Many employees willingly share their personal data online without realizing that it could endanger them. And even when they know not to overshare, data brokers compile comprehensive profiles on most Americans that are then put up for sale for as little as $0.99. The average data broker has around 1,500 information points on a single individual, everything from their contact details to who their family is and their net worth.

There’s even more data available about executives. According to DeleteMe’s PII Exposure Risk Report, executives have a 30% higher personally identifiable information (PII) exposure on data brokers than the average employee. This is as true for executives who work at small companies as it is for enterprise-level executives.

Privacy best practices during geopolitical crises

In addition to reducing the availability of personal information on the internet, organizations should also look to doing the following to lower the chances that their employees will be targeted in geopolitical attacks.

Make sure employees are cognizant of social media

Advise employees of the dangers that come with engaging in partisan rhetoric online and encourage them to use anonymous accounts. Make it clear that even anonymous accounts can be doxed.

Although data brokers are a major source of information leakage, so is social media. Train your employees on how to use social media more privately. This includes but is not limited to sharing your posts with friends and family only and keeping your bio free of any details that might link back to your job or public profile.

Provide specific communication guidance to executives

Some managers, especially those from different cultures or geographies, may be less aware of the wider workforce and public sensitivities surrounding geopolitical conflicts than others.

To reduce the likelihood of these individuals and the company becoming a target, talk to your executive team and consider how best to communicate when referring to geopolitical conflicts. It might make sense to circulate guidance around phrases/verbiage to use.

Focus on supporting colleagues

If you employ individuals who have a connection to areas or cultures that are currently seeing conflict, see if they need emotional or physical help and be aware that some business travel may be too dangerous for them.

You may also want to check in regularly with some more at-risk employees to ensure they’re not on the receiving end of harassment or other threats and have processes in place to address them if they are.

Find a common, neutral ground when making statements

With employees and customers likely to be on different sides of the geopolitical conflict, it’s recommended (if possible) to keep neutral to avoid attracting unnecessary attention and speak out based on how relevant and severe the political situation is to your organization.

It’s also a good idea to reach out to employee groups and gauge wider employee sentiment to create a communications strategy that is in everyone’s best interest.

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Conflicting public opinions can create major reputational damage. Recently, companies from Starbucks to Google found themselves at odds with statements made by employee groups.

Keeping employees safe as geopolitical risks grow

Responding to a world where distant geopolitical conflicts can morph into personal threats against employees and do massive corporate reputational damage is not something most companies are prepared for.

The only effective response is to be proactive. This is one common trend among all the advice shared above. Another is to think of privacy as a connective tissue that helps keep your executives, employees, and company reputation secure.

Rob Shavell is CEO of DeleteMe