State agencies, colleges demand applicants' Facebook passwords

State agencies, colleges demand applicants' Facebook passwords

redtape.msnbc.msn.com

If you think privacy settings on your Facebook and Twitter accounts guarantee future employers or schools can't see your private posts, guess again.
Employers and colleges find the treasure-trove of personal information hiding behind password-protected accounts and privacy walls just too tempting, and some are demanding full access from job applicants and student athletes.
In Maryland, job seekers applying to the state's Department of Corrections have been asked during interviews to log in

(visit the link for the full news article)

Interviewers ask for your password, and if you refuse, don't expect to get the job. Schools demand that you "friend" your coach, and use social media monitoring companies like UDilligence and Varsity Monitor for software to automate the spying.

While submitting to a Facebook review is voluntary, virtually all applicants agree to it out of a desire to score well in the interview, according Maryland ACLU legislative director Melissa Coretz Goemann.

Student-athletes in colleges around the country also are finding out they can no longer maintain privacy in Facebook communications because schools are requiring them to "friend" a coach or compliance officer, giving that person access to their “friends-only” posts. Schools are also turning to social media monitoring companies with names like UDilligence and Varsity Monitor for software packages that automate the task. The programs offer a "reputation scoreboard" to coaches and send "threat level" warnings about individual athletes to compliance officers.

If you still have any illusions about your right to "privacy," this report should clarify the situation.




redtape.msnbc.msn.com (visit the link for the full news article)

That is completely illegal. I am sure we will see this in court soon.

reply to post by nixie_nox


It already has with the Maryland Department of Corrections - that's why they don't "demand" - they just ask, in the interview. ...Job applicants comply because they want jobs, and probably need them.

Previously, applicants were asked to surrender their user name and password, but a complaint from the ACLU stopped that practice last year. While submitting to a Facebook review is voluntary, virtually all applicants agree to it out of a desire to score well in the interview, according Maryland ACLU legislative director Melissa Coretz Goemann.

reply to post by soficrow


How about if you don't have one? Wouldn't that be a catch 22 as they probably wouldn't believe you and think you were hiding it?

I genuinely have not got a facebook account. I have never used it or twitter (absolutely zero interest, actually rather creeps me out). People never believe me when i tell them that though.

Looks like Facebook is being seen as a pretty effective tool to "profile" people.

Hmmm.. Interesting.

I wonder what they do if you don't use Facebook, Twitter, etc - or social media in general. Will they deny you the job because its harder to spy on you?

reply to post by soficrow


It doesn't matter, they are not even ALLOWED to ask for personal information.Voluntary or not.

Much less tell you that it is a choice but you won't do as well in the interview.

Interviewers are not allowed to ask you personal information whatsoever. They are not allowed to ask you if your married, have children, what health issues you have, nothing.

It is blatantly illegal and I am sure they will be hearing from the Feds.

I don't have an account with any social media at all and never will.

Interesting that while my husband works for the government, every year when his security clearance comes due for review within the questions and answers he most write, includes any E-mail accounts that are not related to government site

But it doesn't stop there, it also includes me that have nothing to do with his job.

I tell him that my E-mail is none of the government business, so far he just answer that he don't have any E-mails beside the government one.

No problems so far.

What if the students own no facebook? Or, if they just use a fake name for all their friends, but only use a real one for this purpose solely?

What is stopping the students from coming together and refusing, collectively, to surrender this information?

The power is within the collective, not the individual. If I were in such a situation, I would rapidly organise a strike protest against surrendering these details. Then, the purpose of gathering these details would be obsolete, because it is pointless if it's impossible.

And you guys think Soviet Russia was bad for privacy? I guess now it's your turn. (And I mean this in a sincere way, I feel bad for what is happening for you. It's not good.)

Ah , a double blind eh ?

" I know, lets throw them off the scent of the fact that we already HAVE thier passwords available, by demanding them!! I AM A GENIUS!!"

What utter cobblers!

reply to post by marg6043


If its a matter of security, that is a little differnt.

If you have a house computer, what is to stop spyware from coming in on your email but affecting the computer and collecting his?

Dangit you beat me too it lol. This really takes an interest in my mind because how can they ask for acess to personal information. Whats next medical records etc?

IDEA BULB*** = make a dummy facebook account and have absolutely professional people that you like as friends lol

Great news to me.

Confirmation that it's a bad idea to use facebook because it's a data gathering tool.... oh wait hold on ... i've been saying that since 2009.... nobody in my area (including family) will listen to me about the dangers of using it.

On the other hand... i could go for a job interview and find myself being turned down because i don't have a facebook profile. They may accuse me of lying and trying to hide my online activites. On that note, if a company asks about social media and wants information on your private life, they aren't a trustworthy company and nobody should be working for them.

reply to post by DeepThoughtCriminal


Even though employers doing interviews are not allowed to ask personal information, that does not mean they don't look for social sites.

I use a fake profile on mine. Even if I don't have anything condemning on there, you just don't know what they might have an aversion too. Like I am steelers fan and they are a ravens fan.

ITs amazing how many people don't think of this.

Great responses. Thank you. ...There's no doubt these "activities" are unconstitutional, and as it happens, they're also against Facebook rules that prohibit sharing your password. But it's happening anyway, and it looks like it's another case of stand up and fight or lose what you've got.

The unfortunate legislative reality is, the Constitution is Federal - so it seems that any actions to confirm it's sanctity and validity also must be Federal. Thus raising the spectre of "Big Government."

.....scattered incidents are gaining attention from state lawmakers. The blog Tecca.com last year showed what it said was an image of an application for a clerical job with a North Carolina police department that included the following question:

"Do you have any web page accounts such as Facebook, Myspace, etc.? If so, list your username and password."

And the state of Illinois has followed Maryland's lead and is considering similar legislation to ban social media password demands by employers.

But Shear says a patchwork of state laws isn't good enough when the stakes are this high.

"We need a federal law dealing with this," he said. "After 9/11, we have a culture where some people think it's OK for the government to be this involved in our lives, that it's OK to turn everything over to the government. But it's not. We still have privacy rights in this country, and we still have a Constitution."

Another Catch-22.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Trust me his government e-mail is so secure that everything that he sends to my computer is always encrypted, all of the e-mail I send him is filtered.

The security is so tide that everything that is not allowed is tag a virus and the computer will shot down.



Still he do not bring his work home and he can not even read his e-mail in any other computer that is not government approved as now they have the new security cards that has to be read by his assigned computer.

It has gotten so bad that he can not even download anything on any hard drive and flash drives has been banned.

The government has triple in the recent years the security of their computers to a point that its hindering working environment, every time random security is run while my husband works.

It was a time when he could bring his lab top home to work, while his desk stop stayed at work, now that is been banned unless he is traveling on work related duty.

reply to post by InsideYourMind

...if a company asks about social media and wants information on your private life, they aren't a trustworthy company and nobody should be working for them.

So true, but the bankers and financiers who run the world aren't trustworthy either, and no one should be dealing with them, especially not our governments, but they do and most people do too. [Not me, I use a Co-op bank.]

And have you looked at the unemployment stats lately? ...Most people looking for a job aren't in a position to be choosy, or to take the high road.

Sucks, but we already gave our power away. ...How do we get it back? Count on the States to protect our Constitutional Rights, established under Federal law? Go back to the Feds and count on Big Government?

Heck, why don't we just give them a key to our front door? This is flat out ridiculous! I remember reading about this some time ago here. I thought people would realized the insanity behind it, and it would go away. Apparently not. Furthermore, this is a clear invasion of a person's privacy. People ought to tell these people no, and immediately hire an attorney. Get other people together who have had to endure this and get a class action suit going.

Hopefully the courts get this worked out, and this does not hinder people looking for work. There has got to be a line in the sand, and this is one of them! All the information these employers need is available from past employers, work references, and public documents like court records. What else do they want? A vile of blood, retinal scan, a lock of hair, or a key to a person's house? I will say again, flat out ridiculous! Rant over!

I also killed my facebook account years ago. 2006 I think.
Recently I bought a smartphone. Then found out it was all "googled up" and returned it. Then after figuring out how to prevent most of the google following, repurchased the phone.
Now I am amazed at the privacy rules on the Ap's. I have no Applications because I refuse to allow the Ap. to know everything and do everything.
The most innocent application wants to be allowed to know all my contacts, be able to adjust my settings and control my phone remotely... what is up with that?
Sorry... did not mean to derail the thread.