Proposed Bill Would Make Digital Snooping By Employers Illegal

MAY 9

If you have a Facebook account, or any other online that you’ve stored information, whether that is a email account, photo-sharing account, or even a Twitter account, bills introduced in both houses of Congress would limit your employer’s ability to gain access to those accounts.

In what is becoming a hot topic right now, employers asking for Facebook and other passwords are becoming more and more common. Whether it is done as a condition of hiring, or simply as a “routine” check to monitor their employees actions, employers all across the US are asking employees or potential employees to allow them access to their private accounts.

This can be a very tricky situation, as many people keep their accounts private so that only their friends or close acquaintances can view the information they post. But when you’re looking to get (or even maintain) a job – how can you tell your boss “no”?

The new “Password Protection Act” and another billed nicknamed SNOPA would limit employer’s ability to ask for this information – essentially keeping your private information private.

Until one of these bills is passed however, which could be months away, we recommend making sure never to post information that you wouldn’t want your boss (or even your mother) to see online, because as soon as you post it, someone could easily save a screenshot of it and pass it along to someone else.