Since the rise of social networking, it has become common for managers to review publicly available Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts and other sites to learn more about job candidates. But many users, especially on Facebook, have their profiles set to private, making them available only to selected people or certain networks. Companies that do not ask for passwords have taken other steps – such as asking applicants to friend human resource managers or to log in to a company computer during an interview. Once employed, some workers have been required to sign nondisparagement agreements that ban them from talking negatively about an employer on social media. Until last year, the city of Bozeman, Montana, had a long-standing policy of asking job applicants for passwords to their email addresses, social-networking websites and other online accounts. And since 2006, the McLean County, Illionis, sheriff's office has been one of several Illinois sheriff's departments that ask applicants to sign into social media sites to be screened.
The last I heard, Facebook may be looking into legal action against companies that ask people to give them their password or otherwise, as it is not only a breach of privacy, but a breach of terms of use.
It's nice that companies want to know who they're hiring, but companies have survived up until this time, and they'll continue to survive without knowing every detail about their applicants. The easy thing to say is just to deny owning a Facebook account, or create a fake one for people to 'screen'. You can add randoms, and people will accept you, no problems.
Also, the people of Bozeman Montana that granted the request to give email passwords up get what they deserve, I hope someone steals every single persons identity and ruins them for life if they agreed to that.
I feel like this is for sure an invasion of privacy. Plus, If a person can't tell if someone is a good candidate for the job without looking through their social life, then they're too incompetent to judge if people are right for the job and shouldn't be the one doing the hiring.
@MAGZine: I feel like lying may be fraud when applying for work.
I don't really feel concerned about that because I don't have a Facebook account and I don't give a rat's ass about whatever happens there, but while I strongly disagree with the procedure, as it is supposed to be private (HA! strongest oxymoron ever), I think it's more a matter of once you're publicly tied to any entity, the entity can not afford to let you behave the way you want, and I don't really think it is going to be applicable for drones, only for high visibility personnel. As an example (of not being publicly tied) I'd think about this reality TV guy that's been paid by Abercrombie NOT to wear their stuff. Who said reality TV wasn't highly entertaining?
And if someone was to ask me for F-book or email credentials during an interview, I would most certainly tell them to F off!
@MAGZine:
"Interviewer: please log in to your Facebook account.
Interviewee: most certainly.
Interviewer: What are you doing?
Interviewee: mah, don't worry, just putting together a dummy account for you to monitor"
@Greg818: When I read it in the Times earlier this week, I didn't give it much thought, but I just realized that this whole thing might also be a, integrity/loyalty check: if you give up your stuff, you're toast.
If a company has so little trust in me they need my to watch over my online activity then how am I supposed to be trusted to function around the work place on a day to day basis? Also I believe it is against the facebook terms of service and can be grounds for account deletion. I don't think this trend will last.
Yeah I would probably just explain in an interview how that would be breaking Facebook's TOS, and that my account could be deleted and the company could be liable, so I wouldn't do it.
Of course, if the job depended on it then I'd definitely go with the dummy account thing. Set up a bot to post sensible and harmless things twice a week. Done.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9155368/Companies-asking-for-Facebook-passwords-for-future-employees.html
Thoughts?
The last I heard, Facebook may be looking into legal action against companies that ask people to give them their password or otherwise, as it is not only a breach of privacy, but a breach of terms of use.
It's nice that companies want to know who they're hiring, but companies have survived up until this time, and they'll continue to survive without knowing every detail about their applicants. The easy thing to say is just to deny owning a Facebook account, or create a fake one for people to 'screen'. You can add randoms, and people will accept you, no problems.
I'd sooner starve that allow that to happen to me. I'll NEVER agree to something like this.
Also, the people of Bozeman Montana that granted the request to give email passwords up get what they deserve, I hope someone steals every single persons identity and ruins them for life if they agreed to that.
I feel like this is for sure an invasion of privacy. Plus, If a person can't tell if someone is a good candidate for the job without looking through their social life, then they're too incompetent to judge if people are right for the job and shouldn't be the one doing the hiring.
@MAGZine: I feel like lying may be fraud when applying for work.
I don't really feel concerned about that because I don't have a Facebook account and I don't give a rat's ass about whatever happens there, but while I strongly disagree with the procedure, as it is supposed to be private (HA! strongest oxymoron ever), I think it's more a matter of once you're publicly tied to any entity, the entity can not afford to let you behave the way you want, and I don't really think it is going to be applicable for drones, only for high visibility personnel. As an example (of not being publicly tied) I'd think about this reality TV guy that's been paid by Abercrombie NOT to wear their stuff. Who said reality TV wasn't highly entertaining?
And if someone was to ask me for F-book or email credentials during an interview, I would most certainly tell them to F off!
@MAGZine:
"Interviewer: please log in to your Facebook account.
Interviewee: most certainly.
Interviewer: What are you doing?
Interviewee: mah, don't worry, just putting together a dummy account for you to monitor"
@Greg818: When I read it in the Times earlier this week, I didn't give it much thought, but I just realized that this whole thing might also be a, integrity/loyalty check: if you give up your stuff, you're toast.
If a company has so little trust in me they need my to watch over my online activity then how am I supposed to be trusted to function around the work place on a day to day basis? Also I believe it is against the facebook terms of service and can be grounds for account deletion. I don't think this trend will last.
Yeah I would probably just explain in an interview how that would be breaking Facebook's TOS, and that my account could be deleted and the company could be liable, so I wouldn't do it.
Of course, if the job depended on it then I'd definitely go with the dummy account thing. Set up a bot to post sensible and harmless things twice a week. Done.