Facebook Addresses Issue of Employers Requesting Facebook Logins

Posted on March 23, 2012

Some nosy employers are apparently requiring the Facebook logins of employees and prosective employees. These incidents have given Facebook the opportunity to be on the right side of the privacy issue for once. Facebook addressed the situation in a blog post. Facebook says they don't think employers should do this because "it's not the right thing to do." Facebook also says this kind of snooping could open employers up to more liability.

The most alarming of these practices is the reported incidences of employers asking prospective or actual employees to reveal their passwords. If you are a Facebook user, you should never have to share your password, let anyone access your account, or do anything that might jeopardize the security of your account or violate the privacy of your friends. We have worked really hard at Facebook to give you the tools to control who sees your information.

As a user, you shouldn't be forced to share your private information and communications just to get a job. And as the friend of a user, you shouldn't have to worry that your private information or communications will be revealed to someone you don't know and didn't intend to share with just because that user is looking for a job. That's why we've made it a violation of Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities to share or solicit a Facebook password.

We don't think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their passwords because we don't think it's the right thing to do. But it also may cause problems for the employers that they are not anticipating. For example, if an employer sees on Facebook that someone is a member of a protected group (e.g. over a certain age, etc.) that employer may open themselves up to claims of discrimination if they don't hire that person.

Gizmodo notes that Senator Richard Blumenthal is writing a bill to outlaw the practice of login requests from employers or prospective employers.