Before Monday, it never even crossed my mind that companies could
and often do ask for the social media passwords of their possible future
employees. I had obviously heard that businesses check applicants' Facebooks,
Twitters, LinkedIns, etc. during the hiring process, but to actually ask for a
password is a full violation of privacy. There are ways, even on these public
sites, to keep information safe, such as through direct messaging on Twitter or
Facebook chat, and we deserve to be able to keep that area private.
A few
months ago, Maryland became the first state to pass a law against this
practice, and several states have followed suit, such as California. Personally,
I believe that people should not put anything publicly on Facebook if it could
severely hinder their chances at getting a job, but as I said earlier, these
sites have more private ways for people to let friends know what they've been up
to, and those are what should remain completely unseen.
Another
issue that should be discussed is the fact that it is way too easy for
non-friends to see all of our posts, personal information, “likes,” hobbies,
and interests on Facebook. The fact of the matter is that maximizing privacy on
Facebook is a daunting and very confusing task; most people don't take the time
to navigate through the menus to change their settings. Twitter makes it much
easier to become private, but Facebook is still the most dominant social
network.
That
issue may soon be a non-issue, as California is trying to start a movement to
make the default settings “private” when someone creates a Facebook. The plan,
hopefully, will give users in future generations the privacy that our
generations lacked when we first got on Facebook. It is thought that, while
this bill is originating in California, it may spread globally due to the “think
of the children” angle that it presents. As we all know, the privacy issues
spread beyond just not wanting others to know about you; it is also a safety
issue, particularly for users under the age of 18.
The
bill will allow parents to monitor what their children are doing on Facebook.
While that may not sound appealing to people our age, I'd much rather my
parents see my Facebook than my possible employer, especially if it means I
will get the job. Parents are there, in part, to keep their kids safe, and I
think this bill would allow that to happen in the online world.
I am
hopeful that a law similar to the ones passed in Maryland and California will
soon spread to all states and eliminate the use of our social media activity
for hiring purposes. What we post online should be visible only to those we
give permission by accepting their friendship. Facebook and other social media should
be a positive way to stay in touch with people we care about, not a way to get
penalized in the job industry.
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ReplyDeleteThere have actually been recent rumors that even those [private] messages that you’re mentioning Brandon are not so private. (“Rumor sparks new Facebook privacy concerns” - The Washington Post http://wapo.st/QZF20W) Facebook, however, is saying that this is not true—saying it’s not that these messages are getting leaked, but are rather old posts (posts from before 2009 when wall posts didn’t have the option to ‘like’ or ‘comment’ and conversation was back and forth between walls). So, according to Facebook, these supposedly public posts are nothing new (meaning, they’ve been public from the time they’ve been posted). Some are still worried, though, that their private messages, those in chat/through inbox have been exposed for everyone to see. Either way, to protect yourself, you should never post anything on the Internet thinking it’s not public. When you put it out on the web/ on social media, you should assume people can see what you’ve wrote (whether or not that may be true).
DeleteI think this bill will definitely help employees from keeping their private lives private, but at the same time it really is about being aware what you're posting online and that everything has the potential of being found and spread if it's on the internet. This article talks about "Facebook Etiquette" and learning how to keep up a Facebook "cautious" profile. The article talks about limiting talking about your personal relationships, discord with others or rants and that employees are constantly judging you based on your text speak, photos, and friends on Facebook. The article even so much suggested as changing your name on Facebook (possibly a nickname) to avoid being found online. There are rules that keep employees from literally getting into your profile, but that doesn't mean they won't eventually hear about you through the Facebook grapevine.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/3061/20121006/employers-checking-up-facebook-etiquette.htm
I certainly think that it should be illegal for companies to require people to give them any passwords in order to get a job, whether that's Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or anything else. But I have to disagree with you when you say it's too difficult to protect your privacy on Facebook. To change the privacy settings, just click the drop down menu in the top right corner and click "Privacy Settings." That link gives you everything you need to protect what posts can be seen by the public and which ones can't, as well as Facebook app privacy settings, tag settings, friending people, and blocking people and apps.
ReplyDeleteI think Facebook has actually made it much easier to change privacy settings.