want a job? Give me your password...
 

Interesting...

Job seekers getting asked for Facebook passwords - BusinessWeek

When Justin Bassett interviewed for a new job, he expected the usual questions about experience and references. So he was astonished when the interviewer asked for something else: his Facebook username and password.

Bassett, a New York City statistician, had just finished answering a few character questions when the interviewer turned to her computer to search for his Facebook page. But she couldn't see his private profile. She turned back and asked him to hand over his login information.

Bassett refused and withdrew his application, saying he didn't want to work for a company that would seek such personal information. But as the job market steadily improves, other job candidates are confronting the same question from prospective employers, and some of them cannot afford to say no.

In their efforts to vet applicants, some companies and government agencies are going beyond merely glancing at a person's social networking profiles and instead asking to log in as the user to have a look around.

"It's akin to requiring someone's house keys," said Orin Kerr, a George Washington University law professor and former federal prosecutor who calls it "an egregious privacy violation."

Questions have been raised about the legality of the practice, which is also the focus of proposed legislation in Illinois and Maryland that would forbid public agencies from asking for access to social networks.

Since the rise of social networking, it has become common for managers to review publically available Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts and other sites to learn more about job candidates. But many users, especially on Facebook, have their profiles set to private, making them available only to selected people or certain networks.

Companies that don't ask for passwords have taken other steps -- such as asking applicants to friend human resource managers or to log in to a company computer during an interview. Once employed, some workers have been required to sign non-disparagement agreements that ban them from talking negatively about an employer on social media.

Asking for a candidate's password is more prevalent among public agencies, especially those seeking to fill law enforcement positions such as police officers or 911 dispatchers.

Back in 2010, Robert Collins was returning to his job as a security guard at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services after taking a leave following his mother's death. During a reinstatement interview, he was asked for his login and password, purportedly so the agency could check for any gang affiliations. He was stunned by the request but complied.

"I needed my job to feed my family. I had to," he recalled,

After the ACLU complained about the practice, the agency amended its policy, asking instead for job applicants to log in during interviews.

"To me, that's still invasive. I can appreciate the desire to learn more about the applicant, but it's still a violation of people's personal privacy," said Collins, whose case inspired Maryland's legislation.

Until last year, the city of Bozeman, Mont., had a long-standing policy of asking job applicants for passwords to their email addresses, social-networking websites and other online accounts.

And since 2006, the McLean County, Ill., sheriff's office has been one of several Illinois sheriff's departments that ask applicants to sign into social media sites to be screened.

Chief Deputy Rusty Thomas defended the practice, saying applicants have a right to refuse. But no one has ever done so. Thomas said that "speaks well of the people we have apply."

When asked what sort of material would jeopardize job prospects, Thomas said "it depends on the situation" but could include "inappropriate pictures or relationships with people who are underage, illegal behavior."

In Spotsylvania County, Va., the sheriff's department asks applicants to friend background investigators for jobs at the 911 dispatch center and for law enforcement positions.

"In the past, we've talked to friends and neighbors, but a lot of times we found that applicants interact more through social media sites than they do with real friends," said Capt. Mike Harvey. "Their virtual friends will know more about them than a person living 30 yards away from them."

Harvey said investigators look for any "derogatory" behavior that could damage the agency's reputation.

E. Chandlee Bryan, a career coach and co-author of the book "The Twitter Job Search Guide," said job seekers should always be aware of what's on their social media sites and assume someone is going to look at it.

Bryan said she is troubled by companies asking for logins, but she feels it's not a violation if an employer asks to see a Facebook profile through a friend request. And she's not troubled by non-disparagement agreements.

"I think that when you work for a company, they are essentially supporting you in exchange for your work. I think if you're dissatisfied, you should go to them and not on a social media site," she said.

More companies are also using third-party applications to scour Facebook profiles, Bryan said. One app called BeKnown can sometimes access personal profiles, short of wall messages, if a job seeker allows it.

Sears is one of the companies using apps. An applicant has the option of logging into the Sears job site through Facebook by allowing a third-party application to draw information from the profile, such as friend lists.

Sears Holdings Inc. spokeswoman Kim Freely said using a Facebook profile to apply allows Sears to be updated on the applicant's work history.

The company assumes "that people keep their social profiles updated to the minute, which allows us to consider them for other jobs in the future or for ones that they may not realize are available currently," she said.

Giving out Facebook login information violates the social network's terms of service. But those terms have no real legal weight, and experts say the legality of asking for such information remains murky.

The Department of Justice regards it as a federal crime to enter a social networking site in violation of the terms of service, but during recent congressional testimony, the agency said such violations would not be prosecuted.

But Lori Andrews, law professor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law specializing in Internet privacy, is concerned about the pressure placed on applicants, even if they voluntarily provide access to social sites.

"Volunteering is coercion if you need a job," Andrews said.

Neither Facebook nor Twitter responded to repeated requests for comment.

In New York, Bassett considered himself lucky that he was able to turn down the consulting gig at a lobbying firm.

"I think asking for account login credentials is regressive," he said. "If you need to put food on the table for your three kids, you can't afford to stand up for your belief."

I remember when I was looking a for job many years ago.

The interviewer would come to my house, look through my stuff, look and my photo albums, talk to all my friends and see what kind of music and hobbies I liked...

Oh, wait. No...


KT

Ummm, I literally did have an interviewer do all these things and more...

Why does anyone put up with this? I'd have a hard time not telling someone to eff off if they said that was a condition of employment. If they're that nosy about your personal, non-work stuff, imagine what an Orwellian police state atmosphere you'll face at the office.

I think we'll see some sort of lawsuit on this.
After that, employers will no longer do this.


KT

And what if one does not have a facebook page?

I have never understood why you'd sign up to a site that requires your real name to engage in personal social networking and general shooting the breeze / BSing. And then people get all upset about their "privacy"? Do folks realize that a corporation has full access to your data and that those user agreements can change quickly? Just look at the monster Google has become.

G

It's so nice to see corporate America self-policing, following the example of banks and political leaders.

I am ardently anti-union and pro-free market, but this is way, way out of line.

It's also one reason I'm very glad I don't use Facebook or similar attention whore sites. I've said for years there's very little upside to such things and a whole lot of potential downside - here's more proof.

I require all of my clients (I'm an attorney) to confirm me as a friend on their Facebook page for as long as I represent them. I want to make sure they don't have anything on there that might hurt their case. I also check out the Facebook pages of the opposing parties and their attorneys. It is amazing the number of useful things I find.

Wow, that's insane. I'm not active on FB, but I do have a login where I have a few family members, a couple of HS buddies and a bunch of work contacts for networking purposes. I don't have anything to hide on FB, but an employer could kiss my arse if they wanted to see my login or get my credentials unless it was some sort of govt job that was going to involve clearances or something.

Another thread full of reasons that I have no Facebook, Myspace, or other social media websites. Pelican is probably incriminating enough.

I limit my social networking to standing around the bonfire with friends and beer.

Wow. When the going gets wierd...

I know it is not apples to apples, but I had to submit to background checks, polygraphs, pee tests, submit financial statements, etc. to become and remain a government employee and hold a clearance.

But this is creepy to me, not something as a business owner I would ever ask for.

A friend of mine always walks people he interviews for a job to their car after the interview is complete. He feels he learns more about the person by looking at how they treat their car than any other interview question.

You get the job.

I read this one yesterday too. I think I'd had them the wrong password and then sue them for attempted hacking. Complete invasion of privacy.

I understand asking someone to sign and agree to a social media policy, essentially stating you will be comment or discuss company business on a social media site... ...but asking for this information is over the top. I MIGHT even go as far as to sit down and allow them to review my basic posting as you DO become a public respresentative of the company (remember THAT when posting on PARF!) but a password is there for a reason right?

...and email? Fuggedaboutit!

Milt is right.

It's a trick question.

If you answer that you don't have a Facebook page you're hired on the spot.

Getting a security clearance for Government work, yep, give it up so they can research on you. I had to go through lots to get my clearances. Tonnes of forms as well.

Kurt's point is very good. Keeps a tab on someone he is attempting to assist.

Maybe once convicted the courts should have access to your social networking? Just wondering aloud.

Your employer/prospective employer???? This seems a bit invasive!

And what about those of us who do not have a social networking provider? Do I have to give access to Pelican? E-Mail accounts? Bank statements?

Rick I agree completely, but see above:..........."I needed my job to feed my family. I had to," he recalled

On how this can boil down to basics, it's an employers market. period. If you won't do this there are prolly 100 people who will standing in line right behind you. Ask me how I know:(

Even if you are on someone's friend list, they can still post things only to specific groups.

I have my friends grouped by where I know them from, or common interests. Mainly they fall into four groups - people who race close bodied cars(NASCAR, ALMS, etc), people who race open wheel, or karts, people I know outside of racing, and people I only know online.

Not everyone would care about a post I make related to racing, so often, motor sport related posts I make are only seen by those in motor sport. Getting on my friend's list as an employer, would only get you part of what I post.

Even then, I do filter most of what I post, even if only one person has permission to see it. Once on the net, anyone that sees it can copy it, and spread it around. Never put anything online you wouldn't want the world to see, even if post it to a limited audience, it can still find its way out there.

My employer's network monitor track's FB logins, if I log in on a work computer, they can log into my account using the network monitor software if they wanted to. As per the above, there isn't anything on my FB that has to be secret, so its not an issue for me.

People with constant emotional explosions with their FB status, generally do not make good employees.

Not uncommon or unusual unfortunately.

As a business owner, how would you feel if you lost a big deal because of the content on a sales rep's facebook page? There are more scenarios, but social media is not good for most of us.