Tech | February 21, 2011 | 2 comments

Maryland Dept. of Corrections Demands Applicants' Facebook Passwords

source: http://www.switched.com/2011/02/21/robert-collins-forced-give-up-facebook-password-for-job/#...

bundlebear
According to the ACLU (and most rational human beings), The Maryland Department of Corrections crossed a line when it demanded that Officer Robert Collins (who tells his story in the video after the break) turn over his Facebook password during a job interview. As part of the department's background check procedures, all new applicants and those seeking recertification are required to turn over usernames and passwords for social media accounts. This, predictably, has set off alarms with privacy advocates who view this as a gross violation of an individual's rights. Note, this is not reading an applicants public Twitter feed; this is digging through personal correspondance and rummaging through posts made not just by the applicant, but by his or her friends and family.

The case will undoubtedly spark debate about whether or not a potential employer has the right to request access to your personal social networking accounts. Allow us to make this argument very easy for you: no. No they don't.

http://www.switched.com/2011/02/21/robert-collins-forced-give-up-facebook-passwo...
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2 comments // Maryland Dept. of Corrections Demands Applicants' Facebook Passwords // Video

  • SMinOrgs
    • +1
      SMinOrgs  
    • Image

    • This story has generated a mini media firestorm in the past week. I have been sharing my thoughts on various articles and blog posts, and I finally decided to write my own reflection as well (here’s a link: http://tiny.cc/4hkbu). One underreported “fact” I learned in doing a little additional research is that a representative from Maryland’s DPSCS says they do not have a policy that requires job candidates to provide login information, so the case may not be as clear-cut as it seems.

      FYI, the City of Bozeman, Montana tried to implement a similar policy in the summer of 2009. The policy last less than 24 hours because of the national backlash they received. Here's a link to one of the stories about it, on Mashable. com: http://mashable.com/2009/09/03/bozeman-montana/.

      Last fall I wrote a white paper on the subject of "social screening," which relates to this issue. It's called, "Social Screening: Candidates - and Employers - Beware." It can be accessed via http://tiny.cc/SocialScreeningPaper. I also wrote a follow-up blog post entitled, "Social Screening: The Expanded Discussion," which can be accessed via http://tiny.cc/SocialScreeningFU.

      Finding the right approach to social media policies is critically important, and many organizations are guilty of overreaching. A couple of weeks ago, for example, the NLRB settled its "Facebook case" with an employer (AMR), and one of key terms of the settlement was that the employer agreed to revise its "overbroad" social media policy. I wrote about this case both when the complaint was filed and after it was settled. Here are links to each piece: http://tiny.cc/SMinOrgsNLRBpost and http://tiny.cc/SMinOrgsNLRBsett.

      Later this week I'll publish a post on social media policies that addresses the issue in a more holistic way and articulates the need for a thorough, thoughtful, and balanced approach.

      Courtney Hunt
      Founder, Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community

    • 1 year ago
  • littlwarrior
    • +1
      littlwarrior  

    • Then I don't want the job, you want to be that intrusive, I don't want to work for such nosy busybodies. My employer is not even mentioned on my face book page. I never discuss work on my face book. face book is part of my private life and therefore work belongs no where near it.

    • 1 year ago
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