Sunday, March 25, 2012

Media Moment: Employer requests for Facebook passwords







Holy mackerel! Could you imagine getting ready for a job interview, you’ve waited what seems a lifetime for -- or any job interview for that matter, and the next thing you know, your prospective employer is inquiring about your Facebook password to review your social media credentials?! Uh, pretty bogus right?! It Kind of makes you second guess that image you were about to post or that status update you were about to tell your friends. The absurd thing is, certain employers are actually asking job seekers for such thing! In any case that a company didn’t hire a prospective employer, because of their Facebook inquiries regarding race, gender, religion, and age, job agencies could fall liable for claims of discrimination upon these findings of personal information.
Do you think supervisors should have the ability to ask prospective employers to provide their social media credentials or do you think it is violating federal law?

3 comments:

  1. Over the last few years, Facebook has transcended its role from that of a social network, to becoming a necessary part in one's social sphere. Of course, there are a few individuals who are exceptions to this rule, most of which are viewed as isolationists or outcasts. Yes it's sad that social networking holds itself as an emblem of manipulation, but it is very true. Facebook is not only used by the general public but by major advertisement companies, and corporations. These companies use it as a resource to promote a following and perhaps even a client base. Although, it's still crucial to understand that Facebook does not hold itself within a professional groundwork. It still operates within one's individual sphere of interest and as a source for personal social interaction. I think that there needs to be a divorce in using Facebook as a business utensil. The companies who request personal information such as you stated need to reassemble their focus to the candidate's business qualifications rather than her/his personal life, which will indeed promote discrimination.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! I feel that asking for a password to any site that contains personal information, conversations, events, and say sexuality (relationship status) is a total violation of our privacy! However, I can see how a company may want to investigate a little on the background of your workers, especially if they have to work in healthcare, or with children. The possibilities for discrimination become endless, as your entire life becomes exposed,... So I would have to say; this is a litte extreme!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am totally against this because I believe we should have an expectation of privacy. Websites that contain our private lives such as photos and sensitive information should be the prospective employee's right to give that information or conceal it.

    ReplyDelete