Should Prospective Employers Get Your Facebook Password?

[ClydeR]

An increasing number of employers are demanding the job applicants provide passwords to the applicants' social media accounts, such as Faecbook. Employers want to be sure that their future employees have not done anything embarrassing and appear to be reliable people.


On Friday, Facebook Inc.’s Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan, posted a note warning that the social networking company could “initiate legal action” against employers that demand Facebook passwords.

Also, lawmakers in several states and in Washington said they would introduce bills to prohibit companies from vetting employees by demanding access to private accounts.

More... (http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/03/25/240681.htm)

Have any of you ever had a prospective employer ask for your Facebook password? Should employers ask for it? Should it be illegal?

[Tgo01]

I don't think employers should have access to your Facebook account but it's funny if you think about it. "Here is my social security number, birth certificate, full name and address, phone number, three personal references and what else? Oh yes here is an emergency contact number and their relationship to me. Go ahead and run a credit check and criminal background check on me. My Facebook account? That shit is private!"

[Gelston]

I don't think they should be able to ask for it and require compliance that you give it no. I think they should be able to look at your publicly available FB stuff and make hiring decisions with that included.

Besides, if they were allowed to do that, you could always just make a dummy FB page that is all sparkles.

[Buckwheet]

The only issue I have with the question is when I give them a truthful answer of...

No, I don't use Facebook. No, I don't use Twitter. No, I don't use G+. No, I don't use MySpace.

So now you are forced in to a situation where they don't know if you are telling the truth or not, and then what are they going to do about it?

[Latrinsorm]

If you think of computers as prosthetics, it makes sense. Think about it!!! You're not gonna. :(

[AnticorRifling]

The only issue I have with the question is when I give them a truthful answer of...

No, I don't use Facebook. No, I don't use Twitter. No, I don't use G+. No, I don't use MySpace.

So now you are forced in to a situation where they don't know if you are telling the truth or not, and then what are they going to do about it?

Same for me.

[Gelston]

The only issue I have with the question is when I give them a truthful answer of...

No, I don't use Facebook. No, I don't use Twitter. No, I don't use G+. No, I don't use MySpace.

So now you are forced in to a situation where they don't know if you are telling the truth or not, and then what are they going to do about it?

Well, I'd imagine they know your e-mail, real name, address, etc.. Imagine if they did go search for that info on FB and found your profile. You lied, they won't hire you!

[Tgo01]

The only issue I have with the question is when I give them a truthful answer of...

No, I don't use Facebook. No, I don't use Twitter. No, I don't use G+. No, I don't use MySpace.

So now you are forced in to a situation where they don't know if you are telling the truth or not, and then what are they going to do about it?

I think they do a search for your name under Facebook. From my understanding if your profile is public they don't bother asking for your password, it's only when they find a profile for you and it's private they want the password.

[AnticorRifling]

STATUS UPDATE I AM THINKING ABOUT LUNCH
STATUS UPDATE I PURCHASED LUNCH
STATUS UPDATE THE FOOD IS IN MY MOUTH
STATUS UPDATE SOON TO BE POOP
STATUS UPDATE ZOMG I FEEL POOP AUTOGRAPHING MY DRAWERS
STATUS UPDATE POOPING

[Archigeek]

I think there's such a thing as too much information. I wouldn't want my employee's facebook info. Persuit of happiness and all that; it's their business, not mine.

[Gelston]

STATUS UPDATE I AM THINKING ABOUT LUNCH
STATUS UPDATE I PURCHASED LUNCH
STATUS UPDATE THE FOOD IS IN MY MOUTH
STATUS UPDATE SOON TO BE POOP
STATUS UPDATE ZOMG I FEEL POOP AUTOGRAPHING MY DRAWERS
STATUS UPDATE POOPING

STATUS UPDATE NO TP
STATUS UPDATE USED UNDERWEAR LEFT ON STALL HANDLE
STATUS UPDATE RASH :(

[Latrinsorm]

STATUS UPDATE I AM THINKING ABOUT LUNCH
STATUS UPDATE I PURCHASED LUNCH
STATUS UPDATE THE FOOD IS IN MY MOUTH
STATUS UPDATE SOON TO BE POOP
STATUS UPDATE ZOMG I FEEL POOP AUTOGRAPHING MY DRAWERS
STATUS UPDATE POOPINGYou're a Twitter shitter. -Gabriel

[Buckwheet]

Well, I'd imagine they know your e-mail, real name, address, etc.. Imagine if they did go search for that info on FB and found your profile. You lied, they won't hire you!

I have probably 15 different emails. The email I put on my resume is not my email here. It came back to bite me once in the ass. Apparently, even tho I am white and grew up with a ton of people calling me Buckwheat, and me changing it to Buckwheet to match the whee.org domain name(yeah leet speek in 1996 FTW!) a person of color sent me a nasty reply to my application saying it most likely was not wise to use a racial slur as an email address. Which I apologized for and said I had no idea, at the time, what the slur was or its origin. I never watched or heard of a show called Little Rascals at the time so the mistake was pretty innocent, however this person decided to be a little cunt about it and I didn't get the job after being the sole applicant.

So good luck finding my resume email anywhere on the internets, because I registered a domain specifically for putting on resumes. first.last@domain.com for the win.

PS. Don't use a hushmail email on an application either. heh!

[AnticorRifling]

I'd tell that person to fuck right off and remind them that you love buckwheat flour pancakes, also call them a racist.

[diethx]

Why ask for a password when the profile is private? Why not just ask to be friended so they can see the profile?

[Androidpk]

Why ask for a password when the profile is private? Why not just ask to be friended so they can see the profile?

Do you befriend hookers before you stick it in their ass?

[Gelston]

Why ask for a password when the profile is private? Why not just ask to be friended so they can see the profile?

Heh, and retards do that and still talk shit about the company they work for and their boss.

[AnticorRifling]

Do you befriend hookers before you stick it in their ass?

Ask Nachos.

[Androidpk]

Ask Nachos.

He's not replying to my facebook request!

[Buckwheet]

Heh, and retards do that and still talk shit about the company they work for and their boss.

We had a retard who put his resume on our document server so he could share it around to managers in other departments when they had openings.

Moron edited it to look outside the company after getting no responses and targeted it towards direct competition. Immediately terminated for breach of contract.

It was amusing.

[Drunken Durfin]

At least his resume was up to date so he could start a new job search.

[Rinualdo]

At first I was against an employer looking at your social network accts, but then I thought, if I was a hiring manager, wouldn't I want to know all about Lunn Windrider?

Kinda changed my perspective.

[Liagala]

At first I was against an employer looking at your social network accts, but then I thought, if I was a hiring manager, wouldn't I want to know all about Lunn Windrider?

Kinda changed my perspective.
Why? Is he going to cage his fellow employees? Unless you're a hiring manager for a fetish porn company, his hobbies (and I do use the term loosely here) don't really matter.

[crb]

I think an employer is able to ask for almost anything from a prospective employee short of a blow job.

I think the prospective employee is free to say "Take this job and shove it" if they don't want to give the information up.

Both parties are thus free to make their own choices.

I personally would never ask for such a thing, and if I ever needed a job and were asked I would tell them to fuck off. But if some business owner out there does want to ask for it, it is their business.

[Latrinsorm]

Why? Is he going to cage his fellow employees? And let them get all the sympathy? Pfft.

[Jarvan]

I think an employer is able to ask for almost anything from a prospective employee short of a blow job.

I think the prospective employee is free to say "Take this job and shove it" if they don't want to give the information up.

Both parties are thus free to make their own choices.

I personally would never ask for such a thing, and if I ever needed a job and were asked I would tell them to fuck off. But if some business owner out there does want to ask for it, it is their business.

There are also some things they are barred from asking. Frankly, someone demanding you give them personal private info that really has no reason being part of the hiring process is a problem. Not to mention giving them the password violates the TOS of Facebook in the first place.

[WRoss]

One of facebooks rules is to not give your password out to anyone. So, by asking for your password, aren't they asking you to break a contract that you have with facebook? Wouldn't that be illegal?

[Tgo01]

One of facebooks rules is to not give your password out to anyone. So, by asking for your password, aren't they asking you to break a contract that you have with facebook? Wouldn't that be illegal?

I would imagine so. Although some employers supposedly asked people to 'browse' their Facebook page with the employer standing over their shoulder.

[Bobmuhthol]

I personally would never ask for such a thing, and if I ever needed a job and were asked I would tell them to fuck off. But if some business owner out there does want to ask for it, it is their business.

It isn't their business at all.

[Latrinsorm]

One of facebooks rules is to not give your password out to anyone. So, by asking for your password, aren't they asking you to break a contract that you have with facebook? Wouldn't that be illegal?They're not real rules, they're more like EULAs.

[WRoss]

They're not real rules, they're more like EULAs.

It's in the terms of agreement. It's a legal contract.

[Jarvan]

It's in the terms of agreement. It's a legal contract.

Either way it doesn't matter. If an Employer asks me for mine, I will ask for theirs. Why would I want to work for someone that could be doing weird things on their days off??

[Wrathbringer]

The only issue I have with the question is when I give them a truthful answer of...

No, I don't use Facebook. No, I don't use Twitter. No, I don't use G+. No, I don't use MySpace.

So now you are forced in to a situation where they don't know if you are telling the truth or not, and then what are they going to do about it?

Just give them your PC information so they can see that you have a reputation beyond repute. Problem solved.

[Androidpk]

Just give them your PC information so they can see that you have a reputation beyond repute. Problem solved.

:lol:

[WRoss]

Wrathbringer got funny, nice, and smart. How about that.

[4a6c1]

How about that.

[Lord Orbstar]

Fuck No. The normal corporate employer has no need or right to it.

Now, having said that, when you apply for a police department, it is required to give it up as part of your background check prior to employment. You do not have to, nor do they have to hire you. Police have a higher standard of conduct and expected behavior than other jobs/professions. If you carry a gun and have the power to take a life, there have to be strings and safeguards attached.