San Francisco, Jun 30 (IANS): Some women who sought jobs at billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates's private office were asked some wildly inappropriate questions like their sexual histories, nude photos and porn, a report has claimed.

According to The Wall Street Journal, female job candidates reported an extreme vetting process by Concentric Advisors, a security consulting firm during the background checks, which "included questions about pornography and sexual histories".

The women described going through a screening process that included questions about if they had any previous extramarital affairs, if they had nude images of themselves on their cellphones, and the kind of porn they prefer, of they even "danced for dollars", past drug use and other parts of their private lives that might indicate they were vulnerable to blackmail.

The report did not indicate if Gates knew about these questions.

A spokeswoman for Gates Ventures was quoted as saying that the "line of questioning would be unacceptable and a violation of Gates Ventures' agreement with the contractor".

In a statement, a spokesperson for Gates said the hiring process "is conducted with the utmost respect for every candidate, with a zero-tolerance policy for all participants, including service providers, who break this principle".

The spokesperson added that the independent background check process is "identical for men and women".

A spokesperson for Concentric also denied claims that the company asked such questions during interviews.

The incident follows other indiscretions that have recently put Microsoft's founder in the news, including his connection to Jeffrey Epstein and an affair with a Microsoft employee.

Last month, the WSJ reported that disgraced financier Epstein threatened to expose Gates in 2017 for having an alleged affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova.

Gates was also investigated by Microsoft for a years-long affair with an employee after the staffer brought it to light in 2019. The relationship reportedly dates back to 2000.

He ultimately stepped down from the Microsoft board, but claimed the investigation was not the reason behind the move.