• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Employers asking for Facebook passwords

Should it be illegal for employers to ask for Facebook passwords?

  • This is already illegal, covered under existing anti-discrimination laws

    Votes: 9 25.7%

  • We need new legislation to make this illegal

    Votes: 15 42.9%

  • It's poor judgment on the part of the employers, but doesn't need to be illegal

    Votes: 9 25.7%

  • It should be legal, so that employers can conduct a thorough background check

    Votes: 2 5.7%
  • Total voters
    35
radcen said:
Quoting myself... :2razz:

I have an online friend who... pretty much every week, several times a week... posts about how much she is looking forward to the weekend, how she hates Mondays, how the work day is dragging so slow, yada yada yada. Essentially, advertising how much she hates her job. I gently suggested she might not want to do that. She blew it off. *sigh*
Click to expand...
And it may not matter, now with her current employer. Five years from now it might. It's an invasion of privacy, plain and simple.

All that will come of this is people will quit blowing off steam about work and, eventually, someone will go on a shooting spree because of it. Everyone has to have an outlet. This kind of flagrant intrusion just makes matters worse but short-sighted employers don't care. They're too stupid to see the big picture.
 
Blackdog said:
I think it is already illegal depending if your account is private or not. My account is private and so an expectation of privacy exist even from an employer. If it was public, then no such expectation exist.

PS: Since my account is private it does not come up in a search anyway. So I can just say I don't have one. End of story.
Click to expand...

I've heard that people without a facebook account get passed over. They don't even ask. They just FB search for your name. If you don't come up, you're not hired. It's Bull**** of the highest order.
 
Mickey Shane said:
I've heard that people without a facebook account get passed over. They don't even ask. They just FB search for your name. If you don't come up, you're not hired. It's Bull**** of the highest order.
Click to expand...
Which really makes one question the whole point behind the asking. Seems they just want to be nosy under the guise of something else.
 
Kandahar said:
As some of you may have heard, some employers are starting to ask their employees or potential employees for their Facebook passwords, in order to "do a background check" on them. Some have implemented this practice as a condition for employment, a condition for promotion, or even as a condition to not be fired. Obviously this is a huge invasion of privacy, but it also seems to walk a very fine line when it comes to existing anti-discrimination laws. If a potential employer browsed someone's Facebook, they could find out a lot more than their drinking habits...they could reasonably be expected to find out the person's religion, race, sexual orientation, whether they are expecting a child, what their political views on unions are, etc.

Is this really a road that we should go down? Do we need legislation preventing this? What happens if an employer views someone's Facebook, sees that they're a member of a group typically associated with a certain race (e.g. NAACP or ADL or La Raza), and then decides not to hire them? Who knows if that was the actual reason they weren't hired, but I think the person could reasonably make the claim that they were discriminated against.

And here is a great resignation letter from a man who had to ask potential employees for their Facebook passwords before he could hire them: I hereby resign - raganwald's posterous
Click to expand...

what the hell is a facebook?
 
Mickey Shane said:
I've heard that people without a facebook account get passed over. They don't even ask. They just FB search for your name. If you don't come up, you're not hired. It's Bull**** of the highest order.
Click to expand...

How do you propose to change this? No internet searches before hire law?
 
Phoenix said:
How do you propose to change this? No internet searches before hire law?
Click to expand...

My solution is if an interviewer asks me for a Facebook password, I redecorate his office. If he gives me any lip about it... I remodel it.

If more people would just stop putting up with this ****, fewer companies would try it.
 
Mickey Shane said:
I've heard that people without a facebook account get passed over. They don't even ask. They just FB search for your name. If you don't come up, you're not hired. It's Bull**** of the highest order.
Click to expand...

That reeks of monopolistic practices, since it would require you to have Facebook to be eligible for employment.

Frankly, I would love for an employer to try this with me, because I'm a guaranteed hire. You start screaming discrimination or Fourth Amendment violation, they'll throw a lot of money your way to shut you up.

These days, I'm down for anything in almost any way to take power away from the employer and put it with the (potential) employee. Let the sword of Damocles sweat them a little. Vengeful, yes, but I think it's warranted these days, and proper payback for many. I grow tired of employers making people jump through hoops simply because they can.
 
Kandahar said:
As some of you may have heard, some employers are starting to ask their employees or potential employees for their Facebook passwords, in order to "do a background check" on them. Some have implemented this practice as a condition for employment, a condition for promotion, or even as a condition to not be fired. Obviously this is a huge invasion of privacy, but it also seems to walk a very fine line when it comes to existing anti-discrimination laws. If a potential employer browsed someone's Facebook, they could find out a lot more than their drinking habits...they could reasonably be expected to find out the person's religion, race, sexual orientation, whether they are expecting a child, what their political views on unions are, etc.

Is this really a road that we should go down? Do we need legislation preventing this? What happens if an employer views someone's Facebook, sees that they're a member of a group typically associated with a certain race (e.g. NAACP or ADL or La Raza), and then decides not to hire them? Who knows if that was the actual reason they weren't hired, but I think the person could reasonably make the claim that they were discriminated against.

And here is a great resignation letter from a man who had to ask potential employees for their Facebook passwords before he could hire them: I hereby resign - raganwald's posterous
Click to expand...

Depends on the job.

I don't think a new law needs to be made, to prevent this.
 
Viktyr Korimir said:
My solution is if an interviewer asks me for a Facebook password, I redecorate his office. If he gives me any lip about it... I remodel it.

If more people would just stop putting up with this ****, fewer companies would try it.
Click to expand...

These companies do not need all,most or some of these people to put up with it.All they need is just a handful of people to put up with it and becomes standard practice amongst all businesses. So you need everybody to not put up with it,but seeing how that is not a option we need a law criminalizing this sort of ****.
 
jamesrage said:
These companies do not need all,most or some of these people to put up with it.All they need is just a handful of people to put up with it and becomes standard practice amongst all businesses. So you need everybody to not put up with it,but seeing how that is not a option we need a law criminalizing this sort of ****.
Click to expand...

You're right. In this particular economic climate, with hundreds of job applicants for every job, next thing you know people will be adding their Facebook password to their resumes.
 
Mickey Shane said:
I've heard that people without a facebook account get passed over. They don't even ask. They just FB search for your name. If you don't come up, you're not hired. It's Bull**** of the highest order.
Click to expand...

Phoenix said:
How do you propose to change this? No internet searches before hire law?
Click to expand...

Viktyr Korimir said:
My solution is if an interviewer asks me for a Facebook password, I redecorate his office. If he gives me any lip about it... I remodel it.

If more people would just stop putting up with this ****, fewer companies would try it.
Click to expand...

I was answering Mickey's scenario. The employer runs a FB search to see if you have an account. That can't be prevented.
 
I have my FB account set to private and set to not be found in search engines. It's for family and close friends only and is no one else's business. Honestly, if prospective employers found a way around that, I would just deactivate the account. At that point it wouldn't be worth it anymore.
 
This Facebook thing is exactly what happens when the job market is so heavily in favor of the employer: tests like this get run up the pole to see what happens . . . I've never seen such an employer's market as this. The trouble with this type of nonunion scared and desperate unemployed citizenry, is that once they have been run down enough, they will take what they get. It's like saying, "you should be so happy that you have free speech that you should shut up about it".

When poeple get pushed up to the wall hard enough; like in the 1930s, then things will begin to turn, including the economy; but not until then.
 
I agree with what helix said. If it's not already illegal, it should be. Especially firing someone already employed by the company because they won't turn over their passwords.
 
Your Star said:
... They can't search my house, and look for drugs, why should they be able to look on my private Facebook page and search for stuff. Highly unethical.
Click to expand...
If you don't want the government sticking its nose into private business then they can search your house if you want to work there. What law would they be breaking?
And if you not Christian then they can not let you work for them if you carry the logic I've heard lately. That is, if you do things that are sins and their paying you enables your doing un-Christian things they should have the right not to participate by paying you for working for them.
 
jet57 said:
This Facebook thing is exactly what happens when the job market is so heavily in favor of the employer: tests like this get run up the pole to see what happens . . . I've never seen such an employer's market as this. The trouble with this type of nonunion scared and desperate unemployed citizenry, is that once they have been run down enough, they will take what they get. It's like saying, "you should be so happy that you have free speech that you should shut up about it".

When people get pushed up to the wall hard enough; like in the 1930s, then things will begin to turn, including the economy; but not until then.
Click to expand...

I agree. There needs to be an employee's bill of rights that protect privacy and protect people against abuse. Electronic intrusion should be one of the things on it. I would also ban the practice of checking a potential employee's credit. Plenty of people have bad credit through no fault of their own. Getting sick in our atrocious health care system can get you bad credit. Then when you're well enough to work again, you can't get a job because your credit sucks. I would also ban "at will" work where you can get fired for any reason, good or bad. The employee bill of rights should state that an employer has to have a valid reason to fire someone such as their work is poor quality, their attendance is poor, etc. If an employer finds out a worker is a member of Democratic Socialists of America or a member of the NRA, that is NOT a valid reason to fire anyone. (If they preach and make a nuisance about it at work, that's different.) Work relationships between an employer and an employee should be about a person doing the work in a quality way. Period.
 
Kandahar said:
As some of you may have heard, some employers are starting to ask their employees or potential employees for their Facebook passwords, in order to "do a background check" on them. Some have implemented this practice as a condition for employment, a condition for promotion, or even as a condition to not be fired. Obviously this is a huge invasion of privacy, but it also seems to walk a very fine line when it comes to existing anti-discrimination laws. If a potential employer browsed someone's Facebook, they could find out a lot more than their drinking habits...they could reasonably be expected to find out the person's religion, race, sexual orientation, whether they are expecting a child, what their political views on unions are, etc.

Is this really a road that we should go down? Do we need legislation preventing this? What happens if an employer views someone's Facebook, sees that they're a member of a group typically associated with a certain race (e.g. NAACP or ADL or La Raza), and then decides not to hire them? Who knows if that was the actual reason they weren't hired, but I think the person could reasonably make the claim that they were discriminated against.

And here is a great resignation letter from a man who had to ask potential employees for their Facebook passwords before he could hire them: I hereby resign - raganwald's posterous
Click to expand...

This stupid bull**** is getting more and more tiresome.
 
I think employers have a right to know who you are. They should be able to require drug tests, background checks, and letters of reference along with a resume (the typical stuff).

However, giving someone your Facebook violates the privacy of other people (not just the person being considered for a job). The employer could access all private conversations that other people have had with you. I don't support requiring Facebook passwords for this reason.
 
Phoenix said:
An employer should be able to ask for anything they want. It's their Job.
Click to expand...

It is not their job to go through your mail or anything else private. That is absolutely ridicules.
 
OhIsee.Then said:
If you don't want the government sticking its nose into private business then they can search your house if you want to work there. What law would they be breaking?
Click to expand...

Right to be safe and secure against unreasonable search etc. If the police can't do it without a warrant, why the heck should an employer?

OhIsee.Then said:
And if you not Christian then they can not let you work for them if you carry the logic I've heard lately. That is, if you do things that are sins and their paying you enables your doing un-Christian things they should have the right not to participate by paying you for working for them.
Click to expand...

Well with any job a public display of something questionable can get you fired. Like a teacher doing porn and the pictures being on the internet. Or a police officer getting arrested for drunk driving. This has nothing to do with an invasion of your privacy.
 
Blackdog said:
Right to be safe and secure against unreasonable search etc. If the police can't do it without a warrant, why the heck should an employer?
Click to expand...
Because the employer is a private person, e.g. any corporation.

Well with any job a public display of something questionable can get you fired. Like a teacher doing porn and the pictures being on the internet. Or a police officer getting arrested for drunk driving. This has nothing to do with an invasion of your privacy.
Click to expand...
Or the employer discovering you are not the right kind of Christian. Right?
 
OhIsee.Then said:
Because the employer is a private person, e.g. any corporation.

Can a private corporation or entity monitor your phone voice mail or open your mail? No, it is a felony. Why would my private Facebook account be any different?

OhIsee.Then said:
Or the employer discovering you are not the right kind of Christian. Right?
Click to expand...


Right kind of Christian? You mean a Catholic church not wanting to hire a Protestant of something of that nature? That is not an invasion of privacy. Opening someones private messages is.
Click to expand...
 
Blackdog said:
Right to be safe and secure against unreasonable search etc. If the police can't do it without a warrant, why the heck should an employer?
Click to expand...
The Police don't need a warrant IF you ALLOW them to search. The same applies here. The employer must have your PERMISSION to look at your facebook account. To claim it violates your rights for them to do it, implies you have a RIGHT to be employed by them. No one has that right.
 
Phoenix said:
The Police don't need a warrant IF you ALLOW them to search. The same applies here. The employer must have your PERMISSION to look at your facebook account. To claim it violates your rights for them to do it, implies you have a RIGHT to be employed by them. No one has that right.
Click to expand...

It's illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of their religion, race, etc. An employer could plausibly find that information about prospective hires by looking at their Facebook profile.
 
Phoenix said:
The Police don't need a warrant IF you ALLOW them to search. The same applies here. The employer must have your PERMISSION to look at your facebook account. To claim it violates your rights for them to do it, implies you have a RIGHT to be employed by them. No one has that right.
Click to expand...

Does an employer have a right to to put cameras in your house?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom