SNOPA to employers seeking passwords: Access denied

[Tank]

SNOPA to employers seeking passwords: Access denied

(Phys.org) -- A Bill has been introduced in Washington to stop employers and schools from demanding access to people's social network accounts. On Friday, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) presented SNOPA, which stands for the Social Networking Online Protection Act. Under SNOPA, employers can't ask current workers or new job applicants for access to their social networking accounts. If employers ignored the ruling they would pay $10,000 as civil penalty. The ban on such information demands would also apply to schools.

They would be forbidden to ask for social networking log-in information, to support their decisions on enrollment or discipline. The SNOPA ruling would extend to all school levels, from colleges and universities down to K-12 schools.

The move to introduce the Bill follows reports that employers are asking applicants for information so they can access applicants' Facebook accounts as part of the interview process. Ostensibly the hirers justify this as wanting to see if the person is a team fit and capable of showing the right kind of behavior within the job's professional setting. Demands are also placed on present employees. A case in point involved a teacher's aide in Michigan who was fired after she refused to hand over her Facebook password to supervisors. Their demand had followed a complaint by a parent on the aide's Friend list who found a photo objectionable.

Those backing the legislation say it's a disturbing trend. Engel said there were "countless examples" of employers requiring an applicant to divulge user name and password as part of the hiring process. "A person's so-called 'digital footprint' is largely unprotected," he said in a statement.

Some good news!

[xSilverPhinx]

Wow, I didn't even know that this was going on ???

How weird that they want access to people's accounts, isn't googling them enough?

[AnimatedDirt]

Wow, I didn't even know that this was going on ???

How weird that they want access to people's accounts, isn't googling them enough?

I won't say where my wife works, but suffice it to say that lots of those out seeking employment are not the most intelligent people in the world.  Facebook pages say a lot about you...lots and lots that an employer can (and should if it is public) use to determine if they even want to take a chance with you.  Careful what you post.  Pictures are worth 1,000 words...

[DeterminedJuliet]

Wow, I didn't even know that this was going on ???

How weird that they want access to people's accounts, isn't googling them enough?

I won't say where my wife works, but suffice it to say that lots of those out seeking employment are not the most intelligent people in the world.  Facebook pages say a lot about you...lots and lots that an employer can (and should if it is public) use to determine if they even want to take a chance with you.  Careful what you post.  Pictures are worth 1,000 words...

I know that the security settings don't guarantee privacy, but I'm always amazed when I come across someone who still has NO restrictions on who can see their Facebook account. Or if they allow a "friend of a friend" unlimited access - a friend of a friend could be anyone! Thankfully, Facebook didn't really take off until after my um... rambunctious years. I still un-tag myself in pictures if they seem a bit unsavory and I keep my friend's list pretty trim.

But I think if an employer tried to demand my facebook account information I'd sooner delete my account than hand it over.  Just on principle.

[Ali]

I recently deleted my account because I figured that the potential employer that I just applied to would probably try to look at it.  The funny thing is that I had my security settings set on Friends Only, I never posted pictures of myself doing anything most would consider unsavory, and I also untagged pictures of myself that I didn't like.  But I still feel like I would rather it just not be there than me worrying about something slipping through the cracks that I hadn't noticed or thought about.  I'm kind of over FB anyway.

[xSilverPhinx]

Wow, I didn't even know that this was going on ???

How weird that they want access to people's accounts, isn't googling them enough?

I won't say where my wife works, but suffice it to say that lots of those out seeking employment are not the most intelligent people in the world.  Facebook pages say a lot about you...lots and lots that an employer can (and should if it is public) use to determine if they even want to take a chance with you.  Careful what you post.  Pictures are worth 1,000 words...

I personally don't have any social networking account (Facebook, Orkut, Myspace or any variation) precisely because I know how stupid some people are with theirs, which thankfully leaves me feeling discouraged. I just didn't know that people had been demanding full access to private accounts like that before.

[Sweetdeath]

What you do online shouldnt even come up. Luckily i never dealt with that  crap.

No one needs to know my web history of gay fantasy fanfiction, youtube parodies, and cute kitty photos.

I can do my job just fine  xDD

[AnimatedDirt]

What you do online shouldnt even come up. Luckily i never dealt with that  crap.

No one needs to know my web history of gay fantasy fanfiction, youtube parodies, and cute kitty photos.

I can do my job just fine  xDD

Because your online habits are 'kosher' doesn't mean everyone's habits are 'kosher' or what an employer would be willing to back up, if you will, should something go wrong.  It's not crap...Sometimes it's just good business to weed out potential problems.

[markmcdaniel]

I do not think this bill goes far enough. The only passwords an employer should be able to ask for are for your work computer and only if they provide the computer.

[Beachdragon]

It's totally unacceptable that a potential employer would demand your passwords.  What's next, they want to audit your home computer?  Go through your dresser drawers?  Check what kind of meds you take?  Where does this stop?

[markmcdaniel]

It's totally unacceptable that a potential employer would demand your passwords.  What's next, they want to audit your home computer?  Go through your dresser drawers?  Check what kind of meds you take?  Where does this stop?

Yes, yes,and yes. The fact is that most employers, actual or potential, want to know as much about an employee as they can get away with. They want to know about anything that may effect their ability to make money or that might embarrass them. If the current trends continue as thy are in the near future they will want access to your home computers, family and medical histories, genetic predispositions, and a host of other things like social and sex habits.