Job Interviewers Asking for Facebook Passwords

[Alpha]

Job Interviewers Asking for Facebook Passwords

Wed Mar 21, 2012 3:20pm EDT




There’s a growing trend in the working world, and unsurprisingly, it involves Facebook. More and more job interviewers are reportedly asking job applicants for their Facebook passwords, hoping to get a little more insight before they offer anyone a position.


Public agencies are also getting in on the trend, especially when hiring individuals for law enforcement positions. They want to ensure there are no gang connections or photos of illegal activity. Law professor Orin Kerr calls the request “an egregious privacy violation.” But is it legal?


It would seem so. There are currently no laws that forbid job interviewers from asking job seekers for Facebook passwords or other social-networking logins. Though Maryland and Illinois have proposed legislation that would forbid public agencies from making such a request, the Associated Press reports that no state has addressed the issue with regards to private employers.


Generally speaking, state and federal laws only prohibit employment inquiries that are discriminatory in nature. Some states also prohibit the use of an applicant’s criminal history or credit report. Other than these few exceptions, employers are generally free to ask about everything — from who your best friend is, to what you like to eat for dinner.


But just because a job interviewer can ask for a job seeker’s Facebook password, it doesn’t mean the individual must supply it. It is ultimately up to you whether you want to provide that information or not. It may cost you the job, but if you’re that offended by the question, you probably wouldn’t like working there anyway.


Related Resources:

• Should an employer ask for Facebook password? (amNewYork)
• 10 Things You Can’t Be Asked at a Job Interview (FindLaw’s Law & Daily Life)
• Can I Get Fired for Posting on Twitter or Facebook? (FindLaw’s Common Law)

Article

[Judee]

Guess it's a case of watch what you put on facebook?

[Alpha]

Guess it's a case of watch what you put on facebook?

Yeah, no kidding.

I would not go near that guv'mnt data base with more than a 10' pole with my real name or anything about me, but hey, different strokes for different folks.

There is nothing private about FB, no matter what your so called "settings" are.

Guess maybe that's one of the reasons they have had to build this:

Project Stellar Wind - NSA's Utah Data Center - CIA Head: We Will Spy On Americans Through Electrical Appliances


....to store all the information a lot of folks are giving them voluntarily about them, all their friends, their family, what they do, what they read/are interested in, where they go, what they eat, buy etc.

Good old "Stellar Wind" won't have to do too much with millions around the world voluntarily giving them information 24/7 for "free"

Facebook & Google are CIA Fronts

[Judee]

Yeah, no kidding.

I would not go near that guv'mnt data base with more than a 10' pole with my real name or anything about me, but hey, different strokes for different folks.

There is nothing private about FB, no matter what your so called "settings" are.

Guess maybe that's one of the reasons they have had to build this:

Project Stellar Wind - NSA's Utah Data Center - CIA Head: We Will Spy On Americans Through Electrical Appliances


....to store all the information a lot of folks are giving them voluntarily about them, all their friends, their family, what they do, what they read/are interested in, where they go, what they eat, buy etc.

Good old "Stellar Wind" won't have to do too much with millions around the world voluntarily giving them information 24/7 for "free"

Agreed. Knowing it's a government data base I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole either. If I want to stay in touch with someone, I do it on a regular basis either by phone, mail, in person, etc. Most of what I've seen/heard about on Facebook is nothing less than a 'show and tell' fest anyway. I don't judge anyone who chooses to utilize Facebook. We're all free to do what we want. It's the young people who are going to suffer the consequences of what they may have posted there. And I guess it's nice of people to supply the government with more jobs monitoring Facebook...

[Judee]

Why Facebook is the future of workplace surveillance
By Annalee Newitz

Want a job at a public agency? Well, you'd better be prepared to hand over your Facebook password or "friend" the HR department rep during your interview. Over the past few years, people applying for jobs that range from statistician to security guard have discovered that potential employers want more than references. They want access to everything these applicants have classed as "private" on their Facebook pages. So much for those privacy settings protecting you from the prying eyes of colleagues.

According to Manuel Valdes and Shannon Mcfarland, writing for the Associated Press, job seekers all across the country have reported having to hand over Facebook passwords or to log into their accounts during interviews. Mostly, these interviews have been for public agencies, many of which are associated with law enforcement or emergency response. Employers say that looking at people's private Facebook pages is better than a background check, because people's online friends know them better than real-life friends and neighbors.

The situation has gotten so creepy that the ACLU has stepped in to protect job applicants' right to privacy. Thanks to their work, and that of other civil liberties organizations, Illinois and Maryland lawmakers are considering legislation that would forbid public agencies from asking for access to job seekers' accounts on social networks.

Valdes and McFarland describe the first case of Facebook prying that came to the ACLU's attention:

Back in 2010, Robert Collins was returning to his job as a security guard at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services after taking a leave following his mother's death. During a reinstatement interview, he was asked for his login and password, purportedly so the agency could check for any gang affiliations. He was stunned by the request but complied.

"I needed my job to feed my family. I had to," he recalled.

After the ACLU complained about the practice, the agency amended its policy, asking instead for job applicants to log in during interviews.

"To me, that's still invasive. I can appreciate the desire to learn more about the applicant, but it's still a violation of people's personal privacy," said Collins, whose case inspired Maryland's legislation.

While Collins was checked for "gang affiliations," other state agencies say they are checking for "inappropriate photos." Because it's not like "inappropriate photos" are a matter of subjective interpretation. And just remember, people who want to mess with you can always tag an "inappropriate photo" with your name and make it show up on your Facebook page just in time for that job interview.

Welcome to the new surveillance state, where you and your "friends" provide all the ammunition your future employers need to not hire you. I would not be surprised if the practice of handing over your Facebook password to employers becomes commonplace. Time for your monthly Facebook check and drug test!

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