Passing the Bill for Privacy

Now that Facebook, twitter, and other social medias are such a prevalent part of people’s social lives, employers have begun a trend of asking for future and present employee’s Facebook login and password information. Employers are attempting to investigate the employee  and observe what they are doing in their free time and how they are interacting with friends and family. But how does this future employee’s interactions with friends and family have any relevance to their work ethic and professional life? Employers should not be allowed to take away employees freedom of expression as well as their personal privacy and some states are taking action against this injustice.

If you have ever been asked for your Facebook login information at a job interview, you know how uncomfortable it is to give out such private information and have your social media site be examined by a potential employer. However, states such as Illinois, California, Minnesota, Michigan, and Massachusetts all have pending bills that will prohibit employers from doing just this. The state of Maryland has already passed the bill that prohibits employers from asking for Facebook passwords of job applicants and employees. Melissa Goemann, Legislative Director of ACLU of Maryland states, "We are proud of Maryland for standing up for the online privacy of employees and the friends and family members they stay in touch with online." At least one state has decided to protect the rights of their citizens and pass a bill that will benefit employees now and in the future. The bill that Maryland has passed is definitely a model for other states to follow in order to protect the privacy rights of potential and present employees. We can only hope that eventually all states will pass the same law so that citizens can be in control of their privacy and freedom of expression. 

In this video, former security guard Robert Collins returns from leave and is shocked when asked for his login and password information for his Facebook page. After finding out about the bill that passed prohibiting this, Collins stated, "I am excited to know that our esteemed policymakers in Maryland found it important to protect the privacy of Maryland's citizens." 

I understand why an employer would want to have access to a future employees Facebook page. They want to get better insight into who you really are and what kind of activities you are engaging in outside of the workplace. However, I think that what an employee is doing outside of the work office is no business of the boss. One’s Facebook page is irrelevant to how you work or act in the workplace, therefore, the interviewer should have no reason to look at your personal pictures, wall posts, and messages. Some interviewers may even ask you to bring up your Facebook page right there during the interview! In a situation like this I think anyone would feel extremely uncomfortable showing a future employer insight into their social life. 

Some ways to avoid this confrontation with a future or present employer regarding your Facebook page are to instead suggest looking at a more professional social media page such as LinkedIn. In a site such as this one, an employer can see professional aspects of your life instead of a Facebook page which is strictly social and personal. If an employer does not ask for your Facebook password, chances are they are still going to search for your profile. In order to prevent an employer from searching for your page is to disable public search on your profile. You can also change your name to something like a nickname and removing your last name. If they cannot find you on Facebook, then they cannot look into your private social world. In the case that the employer can still find your page, you should set your privacy settings so that pictures are hidden and you should always monitor the comments and photos on your timeline by removing anything that you would not want an employer to see.