I recently applied for a remote job in the writing industry. I passed their tests, had a great interview, and was asked to send some documents to finish the hiring process. I was very excited to start this new job. The recruiter told me that the company needed to give me a computer because my PC did not meet the requirements. All fine, right? They asked for my address, my ID, my SSN, and other documents to make sure that I won't scam them. Normal procedure.
I was supposed to go to the office just to sign the contract and get the computer, but before I could do that, they told me they had to run a socioeconomic study to ensure that I am in no need to steal the equipment. A woman proceeded to ask me tons of invasive questions through a video call, including the wages of other people who live in my house, how much we spend per month, if we own a microwave, etc. After she finished, she asked me for “one more detail”: to send her pictures of the living room, dining room, and outside of the residence. Is this fucking normal?? How dare employers ask for such things? No amount of money would make me accept these conditions. Isn't it enough that they know where I live?
On top of all that, they refused to tell me my schedule before signing a contract, they didn't even tell me why my computer did not meet the requirements (“IT just said it didn't”), they wanted me to sign a crazy NDA, their policies say that all data they have of their employees can be sold to whoever they want, to mention a few outrageous things. Luckily I won't starve if I don't take this job, but I am sure that they take advantage of vulnerable people. If they had told me that from the beginning, I sure as hell would have told them to fuck off, but they wait until you are two days away from signing the contract to tell you so that you are neck-deep into the hiring process and can't refuse.
In what situation is it acceptable for your employer to know how your house looks inside and out? Fuck big companies, man. They want you to blindly agree to everything without receiving a single penny. I feel like I dodged a bullet.