It’s no secret that the things that you post on your social networking sites may be of interest to your employer (or potential employers), but some have taken the practice of perusing your online profiles to a whole new level. Facebook is now prepared to fight back:
Facebook has taken a stand against what it calls a “distressing increase” in reports of employers demanding the Facebook passwords of employees and job applicants. One such report came from the Associated Press this week, which detailed cases of interviewers asking applicants for Facebook usernames and passwords, a clear invasion of privacy if we’ve ever heard of one. Employers examining applicants’ and employees’ activity on social media networks isn’t new—but typically it is restricted to what information users have made publicly available to everyone. Facebook said it could seek policy changes or file lawsuits to prevent employers from demanding passwords.
Employer access to employee data has always been a contentious issue, and many are arguing that requesting social media credentials is taking things too far. It is always important to note, however, that employers can and will use any means at their disposal to attempt to vet potential and current employees – it only makes good business sense. No matter how this issue pans out, examples like this one serve to further emphasize the fact that we should all be cautious about what information we are posting online.
What are your thoughts? Should employers be able to request your social networking credentials?
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