California May Be Second State to Bar Employers From Requesting Your Facebook Password
From The Sacramento Bee:
The Social Media Privacy Act, sponsored by state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, sailed through the Senate’sEducation, and Labor and Industrial Relations committees.
The bill’s Assembly counterpart, authored by Silicon Valley Democrat Nora Campos, D-San Jose, passed unanimously through the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week.
Campos said California’s privacy protections must keep pace with technology.
“Our social media accounts offer views into our personal lives and expose information that would be inappropriate to discuss during a job interview,” Campos said in a statement after the Tuesday committee vote.
Though some employers say access to social media accounts is important to find the best candidate, opposition to the practice has gathered momentum.
Maryland lawmakers earlier this month were the first to pass legislation that banned employers from asking for social media passwords and log-ins. . . .
Along with California, lawmakers in another eight states – Illinois,Massachusetts,Michigan,Minnesota,Missouri,New York,South Carolina and Washington – have filed or are reviewing bills barring employers’ access to applicants’ and employees’ social media accounts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.