Employees would be very happy to know that there is a newly signed law in California which prohibits employers and universities from asking applicants for their social media passwords. It is not a secret that almost everyone today has at least a single social media account. The law has been signed because of reports coming from applicants and employees who have been asked for their passwords.
Why are employers asking for social media passwords? Because they want to investigate their applicants through their social media accounts. One university even went as far as naming one person who will be in charge of accessing and regularly monitoring the content of their sports team’s social networking accounts.
The state of California is pioneering the social media revolution by protecting people from unwarranted invasions of their personal social media accounts. This news was shared by no less than Governor Jerry Brown which he also shared on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The governor has also signed a similar bill penned by Senator Leland Yee which prohibits universities and schools from demanding for the usernames, passwords and other information from their students. According to the senator, the bill is a result to the growing trend of schools which are snooping into student social media accounts, especially those that belong to student athletes.
Facebook is one of the most popular social media today and almost every person has a Facebook account. It has even responded to this news by reminding businesses, universities and other agencies to not give away their password to other people as it is against security rules. Doing so would make you vulnerable to people who might want to use your account for unsavory purposes and or snooping.
One popular case involving Facebook was that of Robert Collins, who was asked by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to provide his username and password so the agency can check for his gang affiliations. Collins was shocked by the request to say the least but he complied feeling that he had no choice in the matter because he was badly in need of the job.
The agency has since reconsidered its stance and instead of demanding for usernames and passwords, they are now asking applicants to provide it voluntarily. However, for Facebook the term “voluntarily” is still too strong. According to Erin Egan, Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer on Policy, this is still a clear violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.
Universities and Colleges
Previously, applicants were asked to surrender their usernames and passwords but complaints from the ACLU have since stopped this practice. Although these sensitive information has been voluntarily given by applicants in the hopes of scoring well in the interview, there are many student-athletes who are still fighting it out because they can no longer maintain the privacy of their communications in Facebook.
The scrutiny has become too much for people that they have had enough. The legislators of the state of Maryland have proposed two different bills which will ban social media access by potential employers and schools.