Connecticut Senator Says Facebook Passwords Should Not Be Sought By Employers

[mookiemookie]

A Democratic senator from Connecticut is writing a bill that would stop the practice of employers asking job applicants for their Facebook or other social media passwords, he told The Associated Press on Thursday.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said that such a practice is an "unreasonable invasion of privacy for people seeking work."

"These practices seem to be spreading, which is why federal law ought to address them. They go beyond the borders of individual states and call for a national solution," said Blumenthal, who first spoke to Politico on Wednesday.

The AP reported this week that some private and public agencies around the country are asking job seekers for their social media credentials. The practice has alarmed privacy advocates, but the legality of it remains murky.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1373945.html

I'm all for this. People have a private life for a reason.

However I think that if the Justice Department would actually enforce the law instead of letting it slide, like they mention in the article, this practice would go away. But however it gets done is good.

[stoppro]

why would you even tell an employer you had a face book account? Is it required now? I have never been asked in all my job searches.

[August]

Isn't that the senator who tried to claim he was a vietnam vet?

[Herr-Berbunch]

A few years ago a colleague of the wife got called in to HR to discuss a criminal conviction that he hadn't declared.

"What conviction?" he asked.

"It says on Facebook you've been fined £574, that means you must have been convicted. What was it for?"

"You daft [insert expletive of choice], it's just a bit of fun on Facebook totting-up things like 'had sex in parents' bed' or 'been skinny dipping'.



Not that I've done those, obviously but they'll do for illustrative purposes. People need a private life.

[Betonov]

That's why my FB account is nowhere near my real personality.
Who would guess that a guy named Garmin and was born in Fiji would be me

[Buddahaid]

That's the reason I eschew social media.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by stoppro

why would you even tell an employer you had a face book account? Is it required now? I have never been asked in all my job searches.

I've not encountered this either but according to several sources it is a growing trend.

EDIT: I've read about employers asking for passwords OR requiring the prospective employee to add a "friend" from the personnel or HR dept so they can snoop around.