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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