Facebook Considering Laws, Legal Action Against Employers Asking for Users' Passwords

Following up on disturbing reports that some employers are asking applicants to turn over their Facebook usernames and passwords, Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer on Policy, Erin Egan, hints that the company is looking into drafting new laws to protect users from violations of their privacy like this. Writes Egan on the company's Privacy page: “Facebook takes your privacy seriously. We'll take action to protect the privacy and security of our users, whether by engaging policymakers or, where appropriate, by initiating legal action, including by shutting down applications that abuse their privileges.” The issue involving employers asking for users' Facebook credentials recently caught the attention of the ACLU, which had previously become involved in a similar case back in 2010. The case was also cited by an AP report on the trend earlier this week. During a reinstatement interview at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Robert Collins was asked to provide his Facebook username and password, which the agency said they needed to check for gang affiliations. Although Collins said he was shocked by the request, he felt he had no choice but to comply because he needed the job. The agency laterreconsidered its policy, asking applicants to “voluntarily” provide their username and password instead. Continue reading this article

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