Maryland Bans Employers From Asking For Facebook Passwords 211
Freddybear writes with news that yesterday Maryland passed a bill through both houses of the state legislature that would forbid employers from requiring job applicants or employees to provide access to social media accounts. The bill now awaits only the signature of governor Martin O'Malley. "The bill is the first of its kind in the country, and has shined a spotlight on the practice of employers demanding personal social media passwords from potential hires, [said Melissa Goemann of the ACLU]." Similar legislation is being developed in California, Illinois and Michigan, according to the Washington Post.
Re:I hope it isn't too specific. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Do employers really ask for your fb password? (Score:5, Informative)
The Maryland government police were asking for facebook passwords. Then it was discovered some private employers do the same, so the Legislature stepped forward and did its job (banned the practice). Now we just need to get the other 49 Member States of the union to do the same. :-)
Re:Do employers really ask for your fb password? (Score:5, Informative)
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department requires it for one that I know of personally.
Re:Not a problem (Score:5, Informative)
No, just create a "People That Suck" group, set your default privacy policy to exclude that group, and add your employer to that group. To your employer, it'll just look like you never use Facebook.
Re:Does the submitter know how laws are made? (Score:5, Informative)
Which is it?
Neither and both. This is the final stage in the law-making process. It has passed through both houses of the state, which means that all the folks have agreed to it as it is. While the Govenor *could* veto it, even not signing it means it passes into law. While it is possible that this falls over through a veto, it is one of those one in a million chance things. So, effectively, you can say once both hosues agree, it has passed, but is still awaiting the formality of the boss' signature.
Re:Do employers really ask for your fb password? (Score:4, Informative)
My daughter applied for a job and they asked to see her Facebook page.