Facebook Passwords Protected In California And Illinois

by Kyle in , Privacy, Tech
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Facebook, Privacy, Password Protection, ACLULast March one of the hottest issues involving privacy and security online was in regard to employers. One of the biggest stories was about a correctional officer in Maryland named Robert Collins who had been laid off from his job in 2010. Unlike many lay-offs Collins was actually asked to come back into work, however before he could do that there was one stipulation. Collins needed to give up, not just his Facebook user id, but his password as well.

Collins had been out of work for a while and needed the money so he had no choice but to give up his Facebook login credentials.He said that the employer wanted to make sure he wasn’t into any “gang activity” (because gangs are planning their activities on Facebook and all).

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) quickly got involved in Collins case and many others that were popping up across the country. Some employers were making Facebook and other social media credentials a stipulation of employment and others were making it a stipulation of continued employment.

Maryland lawmakers quickly rushed a piece of legislation that outlaws employers from seeking employee or prospective employee’s login credentials for any personal service.

Now California and Illinois have both jumped on the login protection bandwagon, and rightfully so. New laws in both states, that went into effect January 1st 2013, makes it illegal for employers to demand access to their workers protected Facebook accounts.  The laws passed in both states protect employees privacy and passwords for many different social networks and not just Facebook.

What on earth is everywhereelse.co?

Washington Gets In On The Facebook Password Debate

by Kyle in Featured, Privacy,
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Last week a huge privacy issue came out involving Facebook and the protection of user accounts. According to reports from a man in Baltimore Maryland and another from New York, employers are requesting Facebook login credentials from employees and prospective employees.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has gotten involved defending the rights of people against employers asking for private information. The ACLU likened the practice of asking employees and prospective employees for their Facebook credentials to asking to open their private U.S. mail.

The ACLU also pointed out that the practice by employers was a violation of Facebook’s terms of service.  Facebook concurred and posted a lengthy statement to their official blog page denouncing the practice and reminding users to keep their login credentials protected.

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Facebook Responds On Employer Password Issue

by Kyle in Featured, Government,
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Robert Collins of Baltimore Maryland was asked for his Facebook password when he went to be rehired in the state of Maryland (AP)

Privacy and Facebook are once again making the news. This time though, the Paolo Alto social network giant is not the cause of the debate but rather the catalyst.

It’s been reported, and documented in Maryland and New York, that employers are asking current and prospective employees for their login credentials for their Facebook accounts. The issue has come under fierce debate. Some proponents of the practice feel that since most states fall under “right to work” or “at will” work status’ the employers can pretty much get away with whatever they want.

Opponents of the practice, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), agree that it’s a violation of an employee and especially a prospective employees rights. During the job interview process a prospective employer is not allowed to ask deep personal questions like if a candidate is married, pregnant or their sexual orientation. These are all things a prospective employer could easily find out with a Facebook username much less the name and password combination.

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ACLU Gets In Facebook Password Debate

by Kyle in Government, , Tech
2 Comments 0 Like 1,959

Many were appalled last week to hear that some employers are asking current employees and prospective employees for the passwords for their Facebook accounts. Apparently this practice is bigger than people imagined, and now the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is involved.

Robert Collins of Baltimore Maryland, was looking to get reinstated in his job as a correctional worker in 2010. He was told that as a condition of his re-hire he would need to give his boss his Facebook password. He reluctantly gave up his Facebook password. Collins reports that the person considering his re-hire immediately went to Facebook and logged into Collins account. The interviewer said he was doing this to make sure that Collins had no gang affiliations.

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