You Want my FB Login, Why Exactly??

March 23, 2012

An AP article was recently picked up by the ajc.com – “Job seekers getting asked for Facebook passwords” and shared in at least one of the LinkedIn groups that I follow.

During a job interview, the prospective employer logged in to Facebook to review the applicant’s profile. This particular applicant has set his privacy settings to ‘friends only’. This seemed to bother the interviewer who then instructed the to “to hand over his login information”. Quite rightly he refused.

I was stunned, not only by the story, but by a response posted by a ‘legal professional’ who commented, “How is social networking login information any different from supplying your bank account information or credit card information?”

How indeed!!

They didn’t ask to be friended to see his wall – they asked for his LOGIN information. Let me repeat that … LOGIN INFORMATION! You know the stuff that everyone tells you to guard with your life because it quite literally can be the keys to your castle.

This raises all sorts of issues and concerns – privacy, discrimination, unfair hiring practices, profiling … not to mention that it is a violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. In fact, FB has just issued a response to this practice, Protecting Your Passwords and Your Privacy. (more…)

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