Why don't employers just break into your home and search your personal belongings?

[Hugabear]

By asking for passwords to Facebook and other social network sites, that's basically what they're doing. Even requiring you to allow them access to view your Facebook page should be a privacy violation, especially if you keep your Facebook page private to only family and close friends, like many of us do.

Employers say they need to access our social network sites in order to learn more about current and potential employees. Bullshit, I say. What did employers do prior to social networking? Sure, they could hire private investigators to follow people around - which would be expensive, and still raise privacy concerns. But what some employers are now demanding would be tantamount to actually breaking into someone's home, snooping through their photo albums, reading your mail, looking through your closets - and then doing the same for your family, friends, and acquaintances.

This type of corporate espionage needs to be nipped in the bud now. Your private life should be private - as long as it has no direct bearing on the job itself, no employer needs to know what I do in my private life. If I show up to work drunk, that's one thing - but it shouldn't be anyone's business if I decide to have a drink with friends over a weekend.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. One wonders what they would do if you said "I don't facebook....

....I have a life."?

[Hugabear]

4. Probably assume you have something to hide

Either that or they might assume that you're not current with the times...

[Posteritatis]

5. These days it'd often be safe to assume that was a lie, sanctimony notwithstanding. (nt)

[Liberal Veteran]

15. Sanctimonious or not, If an interviewer had the audacity to ask for my password...

...then they should be prepared for a less than polite answer.

Perhaps a more formal one answer such as, "I'm afraid that you would need to your lawyers clear that with my lawyer before I can provide you with that information."

And no, I have nothing against Facebook, although I choose not to participate in it, but I have a certain amount of scorn for employers that pry in such a manner.

[Posteritatis]

17. Oh, I agree. I'd be ruder than you were, directed straight at the interviewer.

The moment I'm asked that question by a prospective employer is when I cease to want the job; there's too many implications about the culture of the workplace in question once that comes up.

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Employers cannot ask for marital status, age, etc

but that information is often on social sites.
So would looking at an interviewee's Facebook actually be violating the ban on personal information?

[Posteritatis]

33. Looking at it's generally considered okay these days, but asking for passwords is another matter. nt

[Horse with no Name]

42. It is a WEALTH of personal info

I had a friend whose CHURCH elders came to her house to REPRIMAND her because another parishioner was creeping her FB and saw that she had an openly gay friend making comments on her page...and that openly gay friend was visiting her home at the time and they had to question her virtue. mg:

I was stunned.

And my friend was stunned.

And she quit her church. It was very difficult for her to do this, but it was such an invasion of her privacy that she felt very violated.

[Horse with no Name]

41. My Facebook has the name of my pet on it

thus I have no FB account under my name.

[Hugabear]

44. Is it tied to your email address?

If so, they would be able to find it by searching by email address.

[Horse with no Name]

48. No. It has its own email addy.

I played some games for awhile and they had tons of crap emails...so I made an account just for this.

[hifiguy]

26. I have no idea, but I have never been on

any "social networking" site and never intend to be. I am sure I am on enough e-shitlists for being on here and some other left-wing sites.

[sharp_stick]

2. If someone asks you for your facebook password

before you walk out of the interview you should say something along the lines of "You First".

[mwooldri]

37. AFAIK the Facebook user agreement requires you keep your password a secret.

A simple statement of "I could, but then I'd be in violation of Facebook's terms and conditions and would lead me to be expelled from their service."

Sure, an employer can set out a social media policy (my employer does this) for its employees to follow but AFAIK no one with my employer is watching each and every thing I post unless it is obviously at odds with my position with my employer.

[MineralMan]

3. Well, back in the 50's and 60's executive hiring

for most corporations involved either a visit to the prospective hire's home or an invitation to one of the company exec's homes, which included the prospective hire's wife. Apparently the wife was an important aspect of the decision, for some reason.

Things haven't changed all that much, I guess. Now, they want a look into your Facebook presence. I'm not sure which is more intrusive, really.

[Liberal Veteran]

8. It was such a hoot when Uncle Arthur popped in while a client was visiting, though.

And Endora could be so charming.

[Posteritatis]

10. Executive hiring's a little different from entry-level positions. (nt)

[MineralMan]

11. It is, yes. It's way too intrusive, and I wouldn't provide any such password,

on principle. But, I haven't drawn a paycheck from employment since 1974. I've been working as a private contractor since then. There are many reasons for that, but the intrusiveness of companies is one of the reasons.

On the other hand, all the people I work for and with have friend status on Facebook, along with a lot of people I used to work for and with. My Facebook timeline is pretty boring, no doubt, anyway.

[CreekDog]

18. Things haven't changed that much? The laws have.

The laws have changed...much.

There is stuff in most people's Facebook account that cannot even be used in a hiring decision --and often can't be asked.

Employers who view FB accounts or profiles before making a hiring decision are asking to be sued on the basis that they made such a decision on the basis of information on the profile, like one's age, religion, race, pregnancy, etc.

[philly_bob]

6. The slippery slope began with job applicant drug testing

The bastards.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/drug-tests-job-applicants-if-33051.html

[Johonny]

30. I've never seen any study

that showed that drug testing increased productivity. Seriously why do companies waste money for no benefit other than some sucker consultant sold them on the idea?

[laundry_queen]

36. Probably CYA

Likely their insurance company refuses to cover them in the case of an accident if the employee tests positive for drugs, so companies drug test so they can collect in the case of an accident. That's my guess anyway - insurance companies rule the corporate world.

[happyslug]

7. Don't give them ideas, employers DID not it in the 1800s and into the 1900s

The Coal and Iron Police, which were a privately paid Police force but licensed by the State of Pennsylvania, were not only noted for breaking and entry, but outright murder.

[ThoughtCriminal]

9. Should be OK with Republicans

They're OK with your employer deciding if you can have birth control, so why not also control what you do with the money they "give" you.

[Cleita]

12. I wouldn't tell them. It's none of their business and if I had to delete my

accounts temporarily, I would. It used to be against the law to ask personal questions. I was once asked if I drank or smoke because they didn't hire drinkers or smokers. I said no because as far as I was concerned, if I didn't drink or smoke on the job that's all they needed from me. What I did on my own time as long as it wasn't interfering with the job was my business. I don't smoke and do drink occasionally, but even if I did smoke, I still wouldn't have told them.

[IDemo]

13. It wouldn't surprise me if

Some of the RW talking heads snort that any measures taken to reign in the practice would amount to "harming business".

[SoCalDem]

14. When you post information in a public arena, it becomes..well..public

You can write forever, in a diary, stash it in a drawer, and unless a friend/family member snoops, it will remain "secret" until someone laughs at you long after you are dead, as they go through your things.

BUT

when you post stuff online, you might as well spray paint it on your garage door

[Hugabear]

19. So then privacy settings mean nothing?

There's a reason why Facebook has privacy settings (even though their privacy rules could be much better). Maybe there are things I want to share with my close friends, but don't want to advertise to the entire world.

Do we just give up and accept that we are not entitled to any privacy whatsoever online?

[SoCalDem]

28. pretty much

It's only as "private" as the internet and the trust you have in your friends & family

[starroute]

21. Facebook is not a public forum

Some things you post there might be public, others might be shared only with friends, and still others might be shared only with a circle of close friends. There is also information in your profile that you might not intend to share with anybody -- but anybody who has your password has access to it.

In addition, anybody who can log into your Facebook account also gets access to potentially sensitive information that your friends posted with the intention that only their closest friends or family members would see it.

It's one thing for potential employers to look at your website or your blog. But Facebook is a different matter. And the employers are not just asking to see your wall. They want to be able to log in as if they were you, which is several orders of magnitudes more intrusive than just doing a google search and raises serious questions about identity theft.

[SoCalDem]

27. you laid out many reasons NOT to use it...

Once you write it down anywhere, you lose control over it...especially online

[starroute]

35. If you're concerned, then use Global Square once it gets up and running

It's Wikileaks-approved and guaranteed to be state-of-the-art in personal security.

[SoCalDem]

39. I don't use any of them

I signed up on facebook to look at their photos

[longship]

16. The refrigerator police in Wichita

I lived in KS for some years. PepsiCo owned Pizza Hut (dunno if it's still true). They fired employees who were caught with Coca Cola products in their home fridge.

Companies have done this forever.

It's dispicible!

[PoliticAverse]

20. Asking for something is completely different than "breaking in". n/t

[They_Live]

22. I ruined a perfectly good job interview

by pointing out my opposition the "right to work" form (Texas) that I had to sign for the interview process to reach completion. It stated that I could be terminated from employment for any reason, or no reason at all. Why sign it? It has never made any sense to me. I don't agree with it, in principle, and if they can fire you willy nilly anyway, without legal repercussions, they sure don't need my begrudged permission.

I had decided by that point that I didn't want the job anyway. They said (after interviewing and an hour of paperwork) that there would be a drug screen (which I also disagree with in principle). They could have revealed that in the job listing and saved a lot of applicants some time.

[Initech]

23. You don't have to use Facebook.

I try to minimize use of it as much as possible - my friends think I'm crazy but I have legitimate reasons as to why I don't.

[jeff47]

29. I didn't until I had a kid.

Then it's either Facebook, or manually fulfilling the requests from relatives for pictures and updates.

[hifiguy]

24. In due time, when corporations are openly given

total power over the populace. Just be patient.

[Mopar151]

31. Is this a way to backdoor into your own computer, via your FB settings?

See if you trade kiddie porn, look at all your old e-mail, see what you been browsin' on E-bay and craigslist.

[Posteritatis]

43. No. (nt)

[REP]

32. I have two FB accounts; the one I post to, and an even more boring one

My real one is pretty uninteresting, but I do post political views. The other one is much lamer.

[kenny blankenship]

34. but when your employer does it

("it", meaning rummaging through your papers and belongings, or sifting your online history or your credit report, or sniffing your pee) it's not "invasion of privacy" or "breaking and entering". This is America, after all : you only HAVE a home to break into because of your employers and creditors! Your time belongs to them, so whatever you get up to on your time off is theirs as well and subject to their approval. They are Mommy and Daddy and you're still living in their house. Did you think you could keep secrets from Mommy and Daddy? Not these ones you can't. They go everywhere, look at everything and they don't have to knock. And government is the Priest who married Mommy and Daddy, and as little you are able to keep secret from M & D, you can keep even less from Him the Revered G. They tell him everything behind your back, and whatever you have not told them as yet, you will confess to Him. He has his ways.

[hobbit709]

38. Don't give them any more ideas than they already have.

[Marrah_G]

40. My suggestion to job searcher right now is to use a false name on Facebook

Then you say you don't use facebook.

Until there is some law passed against it, this may well be the best option.

My facebook is under a RPG name.

[TeamsterDem]

45. I'd tell em "kiss my ass, call my union rep" if I weren't already said union rep. :) nt

[benld74]

46. Candy Gram! I didnt order any candy? Girl Scout Cookies! Oh, GS Cookies, well,,,ahhhhhhh!!!!

[rainbow4321]

47. I worked for one company that was under alot of media scrutiny

for various violations (state/federal)...seems every week there were new articles being published. Every week they sent us nasty, threatening emails about "no talking to the media!".
The execs were so paranoid that it was the workers sharing information with the media that they sent out threats about not only monitoring our work stations (which was pretty much a given, anyway) to telling us that they could/would ALSO monitor our HOME COMPUTERS! Not home computers issued by the company, but our own personal computers.

[TheKentuckian]

49. It is more like being required to provide them a key so they can search or just pop in at will.

Breaking in would mean we offer resistance to our corporate overlords and they demand compliance and utter surrender.

[sarcasmo]

50. Give it a few years.