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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

#81

Post by MartinCron »

jiggy2011 wrote: post #55
lambersley wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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,…

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. The problem is that this is difficult, especially for younger people. I've had various online aliases over the years, most of which have been abandoned because they no longer reflect me at all. Let's say you were 16-18 and naive an…

I was just having a discussion with my 10-year-old son about this, you know "talk to your kids about Facebook before someone else does?".

The guideline that I came up with is "don't post anything, anywhere, that you wouldn't be comfortable seeing on the front page of the newspaper".

Now all I have to do is keep drumming that message into him for the next three years.

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

#82

Post by grecy »

lambersley wrote: post #29
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,…

> Candidates need to ensure their online presence is something they are proud of (and happy to defend)

Of course, there is the problem of people tagging you in Facebook that you can never un-tag.

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

#83

Post by imgabe »

My idea of an appropriate response to this:

Interviewer: Ok then, we'll just need your facebook login information and we'll be all set.

Applicant: Sure thing, but first I'll need a key to your house.

Interviewer: What? Why?

Applicant: I'd like to go in when you're not there and rummage through your stuff, to make sure you're the kind of person I want to work for.

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

#84

Post by sounds »

grecy wrote: post #80
jchrisa wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if you could get a request like this in writing, the right lawyer would be able to get you a hefty settlement under existing law. Just guessing, but I'd be surprised if it's legal to ask prospective employees to engage in unlawful activities as a condition of employment. As mentioned before, sharing your Facebook password is illegal.

I'm certain that anyone asking to snoop through your Facbook knows they are doing something "wrong" - maybe they don't understand the full implications, but I'm sure none of them would be stupid enough to put the request in writing.

Anticipate the next time the boss "reminds" you to give him your password, and have your phone recording when it happens.

In many US states, it is legal to record a conversation if one of the parties is aware (i.e. if you are recording a conversation in which you are a participant).

I'm uncomfortable with doing this in normal circumstances, since it's a pretty manipulative way of getting a recording of someone. But if you're getting abusive requests from your employer and (I agree) you're not likely to get it in writing, this seems like the appropriate response.

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

#86

Post by dkokelley »

jchrisa wrote: post #73
pasbesoin wrote: post #57

As I saw commented elsewhere, giving up your password / access to another person appears to be a pretty clear violation of Facebook's TOS (terms of service). So, my first response might be to ask whether they are soliciting me to breach a legal contract that I've entered. (I'll leave my thoughts on the actual legality or interpretation and reasonableness of claimed legality on the part of the service provider, here F…

I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if you could get a request like this in writing, the right lawyer would be able to get you a hefty settlement under existing law. Just guessing, but I'd be surprised if it's legal to ask prospective employees to engage in unlawful activities as a condition of employment. As mentioned before, sharing your Facebook password is illegal.

"...sharing your Facebook password is illegal."

Illegal is the wrong word for it. It's not illegal, it's a violation of the Facebook TOS - a matter for at most a civil (and not criminal) court.

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

#87

Post by Drbble »

wisty wrote: post #43
Zikes wrote: post #2

Isn't this illegal during the interview process since Facebook reveals practically every protected status?

IANAL, but I don't think it's illegal per say. It's just illegal for the company to consider protected things ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_discrimination_law_i... ). However, if it's a civil matter (i.e. you sue), then you just need "balance of evidence", not "proof beyond reasonable doubt". You'll try to prove that it was a factor, and they'll try to prove that it wasn't. You might argue that at this st…

Aside: "per se". It's Latin.

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

#88

Post by Karunamon »

sneak wrote: post #61

The argument can be made (at least in our industry) that someone who uses Facebook isn't someone you'd want to hire, anyway.

I'd say quite the opposite. It's normal and expected to be a member of multiple social networks.

I'd wonder what kind of IT person doesn't have an account with facebook, twitter, a personal domain, etc.

Nice ludditism, though.

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

#89

Post by kijin »

dkokelley wrote: post #86
jchrisa wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a lawyer, but my guess is that if you could get a request like this in writing, the right lawyer would be able to get you a hefty settlement under existing law. Just guessing, but I'd be surprised if it's legal to ask prospective employees to engage in unlawful activities as a condition of employment. As mentioned before, sharing your Facebook password is illegal.

"...sharing your Facebook password is illegal." Illegal is the wrong word for it. It's not illegal, it's a violation of the Facebook TOS - a matter for at most a civil (and not criminal) court.

There was a thread here on HN some time ago, where someone argued that it's illegal anyway, because of some misguided law that makes it a federal crime to violate an internet company's TOS. I can't find that thread right now, though.
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