Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan expressed concern of the legality of an employer asking employment candidates and current associates for their Facebook passwords. Facebook’s statement of “Rights and Responsiblities” makes such an action a violation of policy to share or solicit a Facebook password. By revealing a password to an employer, a persons age, religion, and associations are divulged for scrutiny. https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-and-privacy/protecting-your-passwords-and-your-privacy/326598317390057
Employers who ask for these passwords are liable for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII, Section 703 of the act, prohibits discrimination by employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also includes a provision to include discrimination by association with any of these groups. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/images/act-05.jpg
Being an equal opportunity employer means just that. An employer has no right to ask for this level of access to an individual’s private life. This action is an insult to our civil liberties, liberties of which the United States was founded upon.]]>
I would never give my password to an employer, not that I have anything to hide just the fact that I am entitled to my privacy. I also wouldn’t use Facebook at work unless it was a part of my responsibilities. It seems to me since the economic downturn that some, not all, companies are resorting to some behaviors that border on unethical. They may find that employees that work in a trusting and fair environment will respond with trust and fairness.
At least in the Upper Miami Valley, finding qualified and dependable employees is beginning to be quite a task. Employers who require an employee to allow access to personal posts may find themselves left behind in the job pool.
No, that’s not okay. That’s not okay at all. That’s what reference checks and hiring companies that do background ceckhs and Google searches are for. It’s what the probabtion period is for.What you do during your personal time is your business. During interviews people are not even allowed to ask your age or martial status, and I feel this is going beyond that. I can see some legal issues coming up here if this trend continues