Facebook privacy's new test: employers prompt ire over password prying
An investigation by the Associated Press revealed an unsettling trend in employers requesting a job applicants' social media account passwords. Amid the outcry, both Facebook and at least one US Senator have spoken out against this practice and are taking moves to protect users.
Michigan passes law to protect social networking accounts from employers
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...
California governor signs laws protecting social media accounts from employers, universities
The fight to prevent California employers and universities from demanding your Facebook login as a condition of employment or enrollment officially ended on Thursday, as California Governor Jerry Brown announced his signing of Assembly Bill 1844 and Senate Bill 1349. The two laws passed in the state Senate last month.
AB–1844 prevents employers from asking workers for social media usernames or passwords, or logging into social media in their presence. It also protects workers from employer...
Policy & Law
California State Assembly passes bill to stop employers from prying for Facebook passwords
The movement to stop employers from requiring applicants to give up Facebook or other social network passwords in order to conduct background checks is gaining momentum. The California State Assembly recently passed AB 1844, which would "prohibit an employer from requiring an employee or prospective employee to disclose a user name or account password to access social media." It was supported unanimously with a vote of 73 to 0 and now passes to the State Senate
The bill, which was introduced...
Maryland passes law prohibiting employers from asking for social network passwords
Several reports surfaced recently about employers asking job applicants for passwords to Facebook and other social networks — Facebook quickly came out against this practice, and several states started drafting bills to prevent this sort of behavior. Now, Maryland has become the first state to pass a law banning employers from asking for social media passwords. The bill unanomously passed in the Senate last week and by a vote of 128-10 in the House; it now awaits signature by Maryland...
Web & Social
Facebook logins still in limbo: Congress doesn't help FCC protect online privacy
An amendment to the FCC Process Reform Act seeking to bolster the agency's ability to protect workers' Facebook logins from nosy employers was shot down earlier this week. However, Congress's failure to pass the amendment isn't really a setback for online privacy — the Democrat-controlled Senate has expressed little interest in considering the Act, and the Obama administration has voiced its intention to veto it, meaning the amendment was a lost cause anyway. The addition was proposed by...
Two US senators ask the Attorney General to investigate employers asking for Facebook logins
US senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have both requested that Attorney General Eric Holder investigate claims that some employers have started asking job applicants for their Facebook login details. Specifically, the senators want to know if this practice would violate the Stored Communications Act (SCA) or the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) — the SCA gives fourth amendment-type protection to online communications, while the CFAA prevents intentional access to...
Facebook warns employers not to solicit passwords, calls it an 'alarming' practice (update)
A couple days after the Associated Press investigated employers asking job seekers for Facebook passwords in order to perform background checks, the social networking company has responded in a blog post. Facebook first and foremost reiterates its motto that "you should never have to share your password." The company also reserves the right to terminate your account if you solicit passwords from others (as stated in its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities), and says that you expose...
Web & Social
Senator drafting bill to prevent potential employers from requiring Facebook logins
If the thought of being asked by a prospective employer for your Facebook and Twitter login credentials makes you uneasy, you're not alone. Senator Richard Blumenthal has announced that he's working on a new bill that would prohibit the requests, pointing to the ban on workplace polygraphs as justification for outlawing the practice. The bill would also be structured to take the needs of existing employees into account, although Blumenthal says he's still examining the details.
Speaking to P...
Web & Social
As social media grows, job seekers are asked to give up Facebook passwords
Job seekers are routinely advised to scrub their social media pages of photos and text that might present them in an unprofessional light, or to limit access to friends and family only. This well-intentioned advice, however, may have simply prompted employers to turn to more invasive methods. The Associated Press has investigated several places, mostly US public agencies like police or emergency dispatch departments, that require applicants to either hand over their Facebook or other social...
