Why Employers Are Asking For Your Facebook Password

Posted: March 23, 2012

There's a growing practice of employers requesting job applicants for either their Facebook password or to log into their account as a part of the interview process. But is this a violation of your privacy? Kevin Pereira and CNET's Dan Ackerman discuss the issue on The Loop.

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The Loop, Kevin Pereira, Facebook, Twitter, Online Privacy

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Displaying 1–18 of 18

superdubes

If an employer ever asked me for my facebook password I would walk out of the interview. If they don't respect my privacy enough to ask me for my password to facebook, then I don't respect them enough to put up with a BS interview.

Posted: March 31, 2012 7:46 AM
Gorcheva

Employer: "Do you have a Facebook account?"
Gorcheva: "No." <--- Problem solved.
Name on FB and legal name different. Will never find me. :P

Posted: March 30, 2012 11:52 PM
GREW50ME

HIGHLY ILLEGAL. If they ask me for this shizzle, I will ask for the number to their legal dept.

Posted: March 24, 2012 8:41 AM
Illusiognarly

make a fake account

Posted: March 24, 2012 7:31 AM
megamagicpower

I doubt this is even allowed for by the Facebook Terms of Service, even if you were cool with such an invasion.

Posted: March 24, 2012 1:55 AM
Timtacular

I wonder if this happens when people try to get a job with MySpace.

Posted: March 23, 2012 6:46 PM
JohnPatrick

Police departments and government agencies will drop you from the process if you refuse to hand over your account and password. Usually after you've done all the hard work to beat the competition and it's one of the final "tests" to get hired. It doesn't matter whether your information is public or restricted to only people you are friends with.

I know because it happened to me. They view your private messages, posts, pictures, friends, information, sexual orientation, political views, religion, etc... It's all part of the hiring process now. If you don't like it then you won't work and everything you've done will have been for nothing.

They usually don't tell you until the last minute either and ambush you with a "hand it over now, or walk out without a job" scenario with NO time to "clean up"

God forbid your personal beliefs are different than your background investigator.

Posted: March 23, 2012 5:19 PM
DamianG

Facebook? Oh I don't have one of those. Seriously though this is a little bit over the top. I guess it could depend on what jobs are asking for the passwords but seriously, if they want the information just go fb stalk like jobs used to do back in the day. When will the friggin right infringement end with this country?? Also, who gives a crap what someone says on fb? because that is such a legitimate source of information. This just shows how idiotic corporations are in this country.

Posted: March 23, 2012 5:16 PM
SgtDamon

if they want to see what pics/posts you put up, they can just look at your profile...

Posted: March 23, 2012 4:29 PM
SgtDamon

haha, maybe it's so that they can see how stupid you are. give them your password and they wont hire you.

Posted: March 23, 2012 4:27 PM
patricia_grace

WHO are they?! Nevermind all the speculation on if it's legal, WHO are these jacka$$e$ asking job applicants for this information??? Call them out!

Posted: March 23, 2012 3:56 PM
TRACERfire

Here, have a cookie instead of access to my private information.

Posted: March 23, 2012 3:42 PM
tronological

my reply would be i hope you have a good lawyer

Posted: March 23, 2012 3:37 PM
alpha100000

So if they ask for my password can I ask for all their bank account numbers and the passwords for them?

Posted: March 23, 2012 3:32 PM
xAlucard420x

Hell no you can't have my password for ANYTHING

Posted: March 23, 2012 3:11 PM
ZyloWolfBane

Its against the law, period.

And what if you dont have one?

Posted: March 23, 2012 2:53 PM
zero137

facebook sucks anyway

Posted: March 23, 2012 1:56 PM
JsLorkmir20

Because facebook will often display information such as religious status, marital status, ethnicity or age, I would say this practice is definitely illegal. It is illegal for employers to ask for that information or for anything that includes that information.

Posted: March 23, 2012 12:21 PM