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Michigan passes law to protect social networking accounts from employers

Michigan passes law to protect social networking accounts from employers

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Michigan is the latest state to pass a bill that prevents employers and schools from requesting login information for social networks. Governor Rick Snyder signed House Bill 5523 on Friday, saying that "potential employees and students should be judged on their skills and abilities, not private online activity." Anyone breaching the new law faces "up to 93 days in jail" as well as a $1,000 fine.

This isn’t the first time an individual state has taken steps to protect employees from divulging their personal social network information. Maryland became the first state to ban the practice back in April, with several other states including Delaware, Illinois, and California following suit soon after. It’s all in response to a report from the Associated Press earlier this year that highlighted how employers were requesting Facebook logins as well as access to private photos from job applicants.