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Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

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Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#21

Post by brown9-2 »

warpspeed wrote: post #17
brown9-2 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should it be illegal though, if the applicants have to agree to do it in the first place? That's the piece of this that seems to get lost - the applicants are, for whatever hard-to-fathom reason, consenting. It's shady, and seems short-sighted, but no one is disclosing information against their will here.

Should it be illegal to ask interviewees to sleep with you in order to be considered for the job? After all you're not forcing them, and some people might be desperate enough for a job to consent.

You can already sue for such harassment/discrimination. I just don't see why we need a special law regarding Facebook here if the underlying discrimination possible is already illegal.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#22

Post by jostmey »

eru wrote: post #18
jostmey wrote: post #15

If I had a boss who ever asked me for my facebook password, I would first change my password to a string of about 100 random numbers and letters. Here is an example: sd0w34hd8yjddghaJHj323HDa6GassGa79AsSFlk889FfSDFGd8AS78 Then, I would print this password out on a sheet of paper and give it my boss.

No, you wouldn't. Because either you stand up against that company policy and show some spine, or if you are more worried about your job than your dignity, you wouldn't dare dream of ticking your boss off. Unless you don't really want the job, and only want to give your potential-future boss access to some juicy information, so that you can sue him easier later on for discrimination against you; and want to have some…

If my boss could not accept my personality traits, then that company is not the right fit for me and I for it.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#23

Post by jonnathanson »

eru wrote: post #13
jonnathanson wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The job market is still pretty weak, and many sectors have not recovered at all. So, unfortunately, employers still hold all the bargaining chips. For a lot of job seekers, it may be pretty hard to tell a potential employer to go fuck itself if it makes this sort of request. A lot of people aren't in the position to be picky about employment right now. Especially young people, who are just starting out in the job mar…

I wonder whether people without an account will start having to create one, just to enable the HR drone to tick the checkbox.

Along those lines, one trend I've noticed quite a bit lately is not using one's full, real name as one's Facebook handle.

For instance, someone named John Smith might rename his FB profile "Johnny S." This tactic allows our hypothetical Mr. Smith to dodge search engine results for his full name. It wouldn't protect him from having to hand over his password, but at least it keeps all those photos of his brandishing red Solo cups out of employers' SERPs. (Also, with the right privacy settings in place, it keeps him from being searchable on Facebook by someone who's not a friend).

If the password-handover procedure actually does become standard, then yes, I'd imagine we'd see the rise of dummy profiles and other countermeasures.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#24

Post by warpspeed »

brown9-2 wrote: post #21
warpspeed wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should it be illegal to ask interviewees to sleep with you in order to be considered for the job? After all you're not forcing them, and some people might be desperate enough for a job to consent.

You can already sue for such harassment/discrimination. I just don't see why we need a special law regarding Facebook here if the underlying discrimination possible is already illegal.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems that this practice is so wide-spread that there's enough grey area for hiring managers to get away with it, so the current laws aren't enough. Internet social networking is such a new and world-changing concept that I believe new laws are necessary to specifically address these issues.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#25

Post by nekojima »

Facebook is such a small part of my online activities that its almost inconsequential. But I would still object to the request as inappropriate on the grounds of personal security (which I prefer to cite over privacy).

I'd be much more concerned if they asked for my userids & passwords for email accounts, Skype, MSN, IRC, domain names and 'Hacker News' (especially if they just went by the name & not the content)!!

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#26

Post by twiceaday »

mdkess wrote: post #20

If I ever had someone demand this, I would update my account to show my sexual orientation as homosexual, my religion to Islam, and my political views to whatever the opposite of my boss's were. Then if they ever tried to lay me off, or not give me a raise, I would point out that the only useful information they possibly could have gotten from demanding my Facebook account were these protected statuses.

Good luck proving this.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#27

Post by mirsadm »

This is a great "I don't want to work here" filter. If I was asked for my password during an interview I would probably leave. I can easily afford to do that because there is such a demand for software engineers (and I'm not even looking!). Unfortunately for others who aren't in the same position I think it is absolutely disgraceful for some stranger to go through your personal stuff just to get a job.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#28

Post by ahi »

mdkess wrote: post #20

If I ever had someone demand this, I would update my account to show my sexual orientation as homosexual, my religion to Islam, and my political views to whatever the opposite of my boss's were. Then if they ever tried to lay me off, or not give me a raise, I would point out that the only useful information they possibly could have gotten from demanding my Facebook account were these protected statuses.

Of the three listed, the only one that is actually protected in the United States is religion. In the vast majority of the United States you can be fired for being gay or a republican. If you work for a labor organization in the United States, you have to be fired for certain political views and organisational memberships (the left-wing variety).

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#29

Post by lambersley »

lukejduncan wrote: post #5

Is this really becoming common? I agree that it's absolutely wrong, but, every headline I've seen gives the impression this is becoming a common practice. I've never heard of it actually happening anywhere but the few cases cited in the articles.

I've never asked a candidate for their password, that to me is ludicrous. I do however (~90% of time) 'google' the person by "name" and location. I understand that a candidate's personal life can be very different from their professional life, but the two are connected by a single thread called 'self'. I really could care less about political affiliations, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and the like. However, drunken photos posted Monday at 17:45 or status like "called in sick today, off to the beach" could be insightful in the kind of person I'm considering to hire.

Employers should not request access to candidates' social media outlets, just as they do not request to spend a weekend with me to observe my habits. Candidates, on the other hand, need to ensure their online presence is something they are proud of (and happy to defend) if seen by friends, parents, clerics and potential employers, IMHO.

Re: Your Facebook password should be none of your boss' business

#30

Post by jiggy2011 »

personlurking wrote: post #9
jiggy2011 wrote: post #4

I wonder what the implications would be if facebook introduced a feature that allowed a potential employer to "buy" temporary access to a potential employees facebook data? For example you apply for a job somewhere and the next time you log into facebook you get a message that reads something like. "InitTech PLC has requested read only access to your account for 48 hours, please be aware that compliance with this is…

Not to highjack the topic but I also read the IRS uses social media profiles to see if you are living above your means. Something slightly similar to your "temporary access" theory happens if you owe the IRS even a small amount of money. They enter your bank account to seize cash and the bank charges you $100 for the inspection/invasion. As for the topic at hand, I don't see why one cannot simply say they have no Fac…

You could say you had no account , but if they later found that out to be a lie it could be used to dismiss you as you lied during your application.
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