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Would you let your Future Boss see your Private Facebook acct.?

Even if it meant getting a job?


http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/newsworldnation/954763-227/employers-ask-job-seekers-for-facebook-passwords.html
SEATTLE – When Justin Bassett interviewed for a new job, he expected the usual questions about experience and references. So, he was astonished when the interviewer asked for something else: his Facebook username and password.
Bassett, a New York City statistician, had just finished answering a few character questions when the interviewer turned to her computer to search for his Facebook page. But she couldn’t see his private profile. She turned back and asked him to hand over his login information.
Thoughts?

Comments

  • miscatonicmiscatonic Posts: 59
    Answer ✓
    Hell no. To me that information is as much none of their business as is my package size.
  • KyleMoyerKyleMoyer Posts: 727
    Login information and password? That's private. Unless he's interviewing for some sort of high security job or a job that pays a bazillion dollars, they had no right to ask for that. Aren't there regulations about the kind of questions you can ask at an interview? I have no problem with them looking up his page and seeing what he has posted publicly. Heck, if they're smart, they would wait until he's gone and make up a fake Facebook profile and try to friend him (there are people who will accept those kind of requests), but asking for his login information and password is completely unprofessional.
  • KyleMoyerKyleMoyer Posts: 727
    Hell no. To me that information is as much none of their business as is my package size.
    Well there are some jobs where that would be useful information.
  • mguy1977mguy1977 Posts: 801
    Answer ✓
    Hell to the F--- of no.

    My privacy means my dang business from 5pm to 9am.

    Matthew
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    Answer ✓
    Thankfully I got off Facebook two years ago so it will never be a problem for me.

    That said...no, I would not hand over my password to get a job. Just like I wouldn't allow him or her to come rummage through my house or my trash can. It's all my personal business. Not only that but they'd be seeing things that friends and family have posted to me...which invades their privacy as well.
  • Fade2BlackFade2Black Posts: 1,457
    Answer ✓
    Not only would I not, but I would seriously consider suing the employer.
    In addition to being a clear invasion of privacy, giving out one's login information is a violation of FB's own terms of use. An employer who makes such a coercive request is essentially asking a person to commit an act that could be grounds for termination (of that individual's FB account that is).

    If a prospective employer asked me to furnish my Facebook password during an interview process, I would politely respond, "I would be unable to comply with such a request, for to do so would be a direct violation of the terms of use I have already agreed to. As a person of integrity, I cannot in good conscience willfully commit such a violation. However, if you feel my Facebook posts are a valuable representation of character, I am willing to allow one of your recruiters access to my Facebook page as long as the site is viewed entirely in my presence, on my computer, and I am the one logging in and out." That last stipulation is more than generous and I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they felt access, monitored or otherwise, is unwarranted.
  • DoctorDoomDoctorDoom Posts: 2,586
    Answer ✓
    No, I would not.
  • ZhurrieZhurrie Posts: 617
    Answer ✓
    I work in IT and manage an IT dept... I would never ask this of anyone and if it was mandated to me to ask for it I would happily resign. I've been a part of the EFF and other efforts to preserve digital rights and privacy for well over a decade and I sure as hell would not get involved in this ridiculousness. This is just coming back around, this was a debate a long time ago when Myspace/FB first came about. I also wouldn't care one bit if employees had photos drinking or doing whatever, it is their life and they are free to do what they want without fear. I'd be glad I have happy employees.
  • bats00bats00 Posts: 275
    Answer ✓
    No No No. No way in hell. Do they need to know what TV shows I like or my dating history while they are at it?
  • Justin_TheBuckJustin_TheBuck Posts: 253
    Answer ✓
    No not a chance. What I do on my own time as long as it does not spill over into work time is none of their business. I also would not give them the keys to my house or car. It's just crazy to ask of things like that.

    Also I really couldn't if they asked since I have my crap set to auto log me in.
  • no.

    and a sheriff of a nearby county in the past year has been asking, or demanding, recruits (12 so far, and all have passed this facebook test) to do this.
  • Congress gets involved..
    Two Democratic senators are asking Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to investigate whether employers asking for Facebook passwords during job interviews are violating federal law, their offices announced Sunday.

    Troubled by reports of the practice, Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said they were calling on the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to begin investigations. The senators are sending letters to the heads of the agencies.

    The Associated Press reported last week that some private and public agencies around the country were asking job seekers for their social media credentials. The practice has alarmed privacy advocates, but its legality remained murky.

    On Friday, Facebook warned employers not to ask job applicants for their passwords, presumably so they could view applicant profiles on the site. The company threatened legal action against applications that violated its longstanding policy against sharing passwords.

    A Facebook executive cautioned that if an employer discovered that a job applicant is a member of a protected group, the employer might be vulnerable to claims of discrimination if it did not hire that person.

    Personal information such as gender, race, religion and age are often displayed on a Facebook profile — all details that are protected by federal employment law.

    Not sharing passwords is a basic tenet of online conduct. Aside from the privacy concerns, Facebook considers the practice a security risk.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/technology/senators-want-employers-facebook-password-requests-reviewed.html
  • KyleMoyerKyleMoyer Posts: 727
    Personal information such as gender, race, religion and age are often displayed on a Facebook profile — all details that are protected by federal employment law.
    I knew there had to be something illegal or questionable about asking that.
  • JohnTiltonJohnTilton Posts: 113
    hell no, I honestly don't know what company thought this was even reasonable. even though ToS on websites are generally pointless, it doesn't give a company a complete invasion of privacy there. I've been asked personal questions in interviews before and have responded with, sorry but that is personal and I don't feel comfortable sharing, and they were ok with it. but in this age of the internet, people feel as if they are owed all this information about others, they aren't this issue stretches onto another matter if invasion of privacy, where companies require drug testing. what you do in your personal life is not a concern to that company, and it really bugs me to the point that I have turned down jobs when they have asked for this.
  • What's to stop you having two accounts, handing over the work friendly one that only has glowing lies about you and the other that has all the pictures of your drunken misdemeanour's.
  • dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    What's to stop you having two accounts, handing over the work friendly one that only has glowing lies about you and the other that has all the pictures of your drunken misdemeanour's.

    That's what I have done. Got one for just my family. Mainly cause I don't want to deal with the headaches from having 5 preachers on one side of the family. Then I have another account that is for everyone else.
  • Not saying I don't totally dislike the idea, but isn't having 2 accounts against the TOS?

    Actually, the biggest reason I don't like that idea is because I wouldn't want to work for a company that asked me to do this. Maybe it might be a moral evaluation test and the best thing you can do is politely refuse.
  • WetRatsWetRats Posts: 6,314
    What's to stop you having two accounts, handing over the work friendly one that only has glowing lies about you and the other that has all the pictures of your drunken misdemeanour's.
    Facebook's policy that discourages aliases & multiple accounts.

  • jaydee74jaydee74 Posts: 1,526
    Bottom line? No. I wouldn't give this potential employer my password or username and I would consider suing over that as well. Seems to go way beyond the bounds of professionalism in my opinion.
  • WetRatsWetRats Posts: 6,314
    Honestly, I'm uncomfortable with coworkers & supervisors making friend requests.
  • TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    No, you can't have my password and login. Yes, if you want to contact me I'll friend you and you can read my postings. Better yet, why not just go directly to my website?
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    No, I would not hand over my info and as a manager I wouldn't ask that of any of my employees or potential employees. I also do not accept friend requests from co-workers. I just don't like my work and private life to mingle with each other.
  • KyleMoyerKyleMoyer Posts: 727
    I have plenty of co-workers on Facebook, but I don't exactly work at a real, formal job. I have a co-worker who has a completely goofy name that looks like some sort of joke or weird nickname and isn't even close to his real name other than being Spanish and I wouldn't know it was him if he hadn't sent me a friend request. When I asked him what was up with the name and he said the kind of stuff we're talking about in this thread is the exact reason. He didn't want to go to a job interview and have them look him up on Facebook.
  • EarthGBillyEarthGBilly Posts: 362
    My response? Sure, I'll let you have that information, I just need yours as well as those of each of the people that will be above me for this position.

    That's fair, right?

    (Left Facebook a while back, anyway, so there is nothing there, but this is kinda insane!)
  • JohnTiltonJohnTilton Posts: 113
    My response? Sure, I'll let you have that information, I just need yours as well as those of each of the people that will be above me for this position.

    That's fair, right?

    (Left Facebook a while back, anyway, so there is nothing there, but this is kinda insane!)
    this sounds like something I would say as well, I'm kind of a smartass when it comes to authority.
  • John_SteedJohn_Steed Posts: 2,087
    Sure I'd show my future boss my future Facebook account. Then I'd return back to the future and change the entries.
  • DoctorDoomDoctorDoom Posts: 2,586
    No, you can't have my password and login. Yes, if you want to contact me I'll friend you and you can read my postings. Better yet, why not just go directly to my website?
    This is the better alternative.

    At least, if I can't answer "no".
  • DoctorDoomDoctorDoom Posts: 2,586
    Sure I'd show my future boss my future Facebook account. Then I'd return back to the future and change the entries.
    Great Scott!
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