Would you give up your passwords to get a job?

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24

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  • 10036
    10036 Posts: 51 Member
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    Is that even legal? Something tells me it's not. This is the second time I've heard about something like this, and I find it strange and hard to believe. But if an employer actually asked me for information like that, they may in fact find themselves reported. To where....well I'd have to figure that out.

    I've pursued legal means to right a couple wrongs before, and corporate invasion of privacy is something I don't much care for. Athankyou.
  • papa3x
    papa3x Posts: 286
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    Imho that is not even a question. Totally not. Not only because it is a violation of privacy but also it is against the Rules of Facebook.

    I don't think these folks give a damn about Facebook's rules.
  • Danilynn1975
    Danilynn1975 Posts: 294 Member
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    complete and total invasion of privacy. HELL NO.

    I pee in a cup, and donate hair samples. I'll continue to do that. but that's as far as it goes.

    We have a free health clinic on site at my job and i refuse to use it because i feel my health problems are none of their business. I don't trust it to not be used against me in the future.

    So no they can't have my personal life stuff to peruse through. Be satisfied with the cup o' pee and lock of hair.
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    They can creep me all they want. I would never post anyting inapprorpiate anyways. Asking for passwords is probably illegal somehow...a breach of privacy. I don't think that is right.

    What should matter are the items that a person has on public display, not what they are keeping hidden.

    Do they want to come and search my house too? Look in my closet and secret bedside drawer? Wow...
  • papa3x
    papa3x Posts: 286
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    Is that even legal? Something tells me it's not.


    Yes, the story said it IS legal... FOR NOW. There may be upcoming legislation to make it illegal.
  • ScatteredThoughts
    ScatteredThoughts Posts: 3,562 Member
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    WHAT? I have never heard of a job asking for facebook/twitter password. That's ludicrous! I would never consent to that.

    Last year, to work for the city of Bozeman, Montana, you had to give them or you didn't get the job. They have since eased off some.

    More information for that particular case can be found here:

    http://www.securityprivacyandthelaw.com/2009/07/articles/security-programs-policies/bozeman-montana-suspends-controversial-requirement-that-job-applicants-provide-usernames-and-passwords-to-facebook-accounts/


    And no, I would not give out passwords for any accounts.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    NO!

    I would dump my on-line "stuff" before I would provide any passwords to my current or any prospective employer.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    This is the first I've heard of this.-the password thing that is. I know plenty of people check out candidate's facebook accounts....

    The only time I'd be willing to give up information about personal stuff is if I was going into a position that included high level (government) security clearance.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    No. The same company asking you to do that will require that you have extremely secure passwords for their systems that they can fire you for allowing someone else to know your password. What's next? Are they going to ask to sit at my dinner table to monitor my family's conversations? I don't post anything that would be a problem, but my personal life is just that, personal, not part of my professional life.
  • 10036
    10036 Posts: 51 Member
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    Is that even legal? Something tells me it's not.


    Yes, the story said it IS legal... FOR NOW. There may be upcoming legislation to make it illegal.

    Yeah, then I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody going to court if companies honestly think it's worth their time to pursue access to personal accounts. Interesting to see technology update the law. Hopefully, as people continue to put more of themselves in public view, they don't lose respect for the concept of right to privacy.
  • sschoolfield
    sschoolfield Posts: 94
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    No, absolutely not. I have nothing to hide, so would have no problem logging on and letting them look or letting them friend me so they can look, but I would never give up my passwords. I hold a management position at my job, so feel that I can see this from both perspectives and still feel that this is going too far.
  • SerenityGelsinger
    SerenityGelsinger Posts: 80 Member
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    No way! I had never heard of that! I work for an RHA in Canada and they have all those sites blocked (Facebook etc). They do tell us right off the hop that they monitor internet use. But they make no bones about it - it's to make sure you aren't wasting time when you should be working.

    Or something like that!
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
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    No, I would not. I value my privacy, and keep things private for a reason. I think I'd be pretty miserable at a job that didn't respect that.

    And I've seen news reports of schools demanding passwords. There would be HELL to pay if they forced one of my kids to hand over their passwords.
  • BReit1
    BReit1 Posts: 28
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    Papa3x, are you by chance from Indiana? I was just reading an article about this, this morning in the paper. Depends on the job, I certainly wouldn't for a minimum wage job. However, I'm currently in school, I graduate in a year, and will be working in the legal field. I could understand why they would want to question my character (which is apparently defined by social networking in present day), I probably wouldn't give them my login information, but I would log in for them to look around. I don't have anything to hide, anyway.
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
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    In the UK, as far as I understand it, this is bordering on illegal, and many HR departments have been advised legally, not to even look at what is publically available on someone's facebook.

    Why? well, say for example you find out that some is a) transexual b) has previous had depression c) is in remission from cancer, or any one of a number of things that may prejudice you against offering them the job. You don't offer them the job, for valid reasons (not the reasons above), and they can still accuse you of discrimination and take you to court.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
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    It depends on the pay.
  • papa3x
    papa3x Posts: 286
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    NO, I'm from Philly.... but this story has been building for about a year now.
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
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    Not just NO but HELL NO!!

    This!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Absolutely not, and I personally think it's ridiculous for a company to even look at your profile to determine whether they are going to hire you. If my background check is clean, if I have no arrest records, if I have good recommendations and if I am qualified for the job that should be all that matters.

    Digging for dirt on people will result in nobody getting hired because we ALL have things in our private lives that don't jive with our professional lives. And for what it's worth, if you're a teacher and you like to party on the weekends and post drunken pics to your personal facebook page, I see nothing wrong with that. What a teacher does on the weekends has nothing to do with how well he or she teaches children during the week. Unless they are drunk in the classroom, a person's personal life has nothing to do with their professional life.
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    Is that even legal? Something tells me it's not.


    Yes, the story said it IS legal... FOR NOW. There may be upcoming legislation to make it illegal.

    Yeah, then I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody going to court if companies honestly think it's worth their time to pursue access to personal accounts. Interesting to see technology update the law. Hopefully, as people continue to put more of themselves in public view, they don't lose respect for the concept of right to privacy.

    There is a strong argument that in the US, at least, it is not legal. A potential employer may not ask you for your age or marital status. Requesting your Facebook password gives them both. I would encourage people who are denied jobs over this to contact the ACLU and similar organizations. Those rights-based organizations will eventually find the right candidate to back in a lawsuit as part of the strategy for making this a clearly illegal practice.

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