Many employees and job applicants realize that an employer is likely to check their publically available social media site. In response, some individuals limit what they post on their social media profiles, while others use privacy settings in an attempt to keep employers from viewing their private information. Recently there have been a number of reported incidents where employers, in an effort to access a job applicant or employee’s private information, have asked these individuals for their personal login information.
In New York City, a statistician recently withdrew his application for a position after the interviewer asked him for his Facebook login information. Other applicants may need the job and therefore feel coerced into providing employers with their login information. It is unclear whether it is currently illegal for an employer to ask employees and job applicants for their personal login information, and legislation has recently been introduced at both the federal and state levels prohibiting employers from asking for this type of information.
