State agencies and colleges want your FB and Twitter passwords

Bokeh

Red Tape - State agencies, colleges demand applicants' Facebook passwords

RobertKaucher

This almost makes me want to cancel my FB account. It just, ::sigh::...

I am not a wage slave. My employer does not own me. I am a citizen. I have rights.

(Maybe if I keep repeating that, it will come true.)

Bokeh

Totally reaks of Big Brother attitude.

msteinhilber

RobertKaucher wrote: »

This almost makes me want to cancel my FB account. It just, ::sigh::...

I am not a wage slave. My employer does not own me. I am a citizen. I have rights.

(Maybe if I keep repeating that, it will come true.)

You still have a Facebook account?

If you're not paying for it, you're the product...

RobertKaucher

msteinhilber wrote: »

You still have a Facebook account?

If you're not paying for it, you're the product...

Well, that's not always true. Sometimes even when you pay for it you are the product. The customers of most banks and retail establishments are not the people using and purchasing their services/goods. Their customers are the share holders. The purchasers are simply a part of the product.

I personally enjoy FaceBook and do not mind being marketed to or being tracked in aggregate. I don't want a boss who thinks he has a right to see into my personal life. COuld you imagine if employers forced you to invite them to your Friday night outtings or get-to-gethers with friends? I don't mind ads or third party cookies. As I recall I have also not paid for TE.

the_Grinch

As far as law enforcement positions go, I can support it and am not surprised by it. Maryland DOC has had numerous issues with people they have hired, thus they are using one more tool to fish out those who should not have a position of authority. All it takes is one lawyer sniffing out something you posted to destroy a case. That being said, other positions should not require you to give that information. Unless what I am doing so how affects my ability to do my job, it is none of your business.

Having been through several Federal background checks I can say I have not been asked for any passwords of any sorts. Privacy laws are pretty strong and every company/school I worked for or went too has put up a fight for my investigator to get the information he needed. Comes with the job....

veritas_libertas

This is one of the reasons I canceled my Facebook and Twitter account. Call me paranoid, but can you imagine if someone was able to hack your account and it was the same day you handed your password over to an employer/HR. Kind of a scary thought...

tpatt100

I don't have a Facebook account, I have a fake one that I used to use for the games I used to play but I am 95 years old and a retired school teacher in that one....

sys_teck

I am not surprised, and/or amused. Many people still think that the Internet can guarantee you a privacy. In some cases yes, in most cases NO. What comes to the Social media web site, like FB, twitter, I am not a big fan.

jmritenour

I've never been asked for my FB credentials by a prospective employer, but I were, I'd politely decline once. If they persisted, I'd tell them to go ahead and remove me from consideration.

I have absolutely nothing to hide, but it's a matter of principle. What would you say if you were interviewing for a job and they said they need to come tour your home before they hire you? Preferably while you're in your underwear.

I don't talk about company business on FB, and I am only friends with a handful of co-workers on there. I generally don't get on FB while at work, and if I do, it's on my phone, not my work computer. It's totally irrelevant to my professional life, and I intend to keep it that way.

bud08

sys_teck wrote: »

I am not surprised, and/or amused. Many people still think that the Internet can guarantee you a privacy. In some cases yes, in most cases NO. What comes to the Social media web site, like FB, twitter, I am not a big fan.

I can't stand facebook. I won't ever join, but I am addicted to Twitter. I have an AE on there. It is the BEST way to get news. I am addicted to the political and news tweets. However, I don't really understand using Twitter to tweet the minutiae of one's life.

Regarding the passwords, no way. It isn't their business if it isn't public.

erpadmin

bud08 wrote: »

I can't stand facebook. I won't ever join, but I am addicted to Twitter. I have an AE on there. It is the BEST way to get news. I am addicted to the political and news tweets. However, I don't really understand using Twitter to tweet the minutiae of one's life.

Regarding the passwords, no way. It isn't their business if it isn't public.

What is AE?

I use Twitter too, but for different reasons. Sometimes I may tweet something to enter a contest (Lendingclub.com gave me $25 on my account...it works. ), other times it's to read up on deals certain companies have, like Best Buy, Amazon, or VZW. I'm not exactly "addicted" though.

I will NEVER use Facebook either. I have two people who are good friends that beg me to get on the FB. I just can't bring myself to do it. LOL.

Even though I have never posted anything on twitter of value, I am NOT giving anyone passwords...ever.

Psoasman

I refuse to use either FB or twitter, I just don't trust them with my information.

tpatt100

Next they will ask for your World of Warcraft account information so they can do a /played.....

Zentraedi

What next? Asking you to turn your head and cough during the interview?

bud08

AE = Alter Ego.

I have a separate email account and ambiguous name.

Zentraedi wrote: »

What next? Asking you to turn your head and cough during the interview?

Hey, somebody call the TSA. They can branch out. Now it will be phone screen, patdown, 1st interview, facebook/twitter password/background check, 2nd interview, 3rd interview...

Novalith478

tpatt100 wrote: »

Next they will ask for your World of Warcraft account information so they can do a /played.....

268 Days, 23 Hours, 43 Minutes?! You must have horrible work productivity, no job for you!

Awkward fact: that's my actual /played on my main...

ptilsen

I'd have to be pretty desperate for a job to even think twice at this. I'd probably walk out if I was even asked for Facebook credentials. I don't even friend my co-workers -- unless we're actually friends and spend time together.

msteinhilber

ptilsen wrote: »

I'd have to be pretty desperate for a job to even think twice at this. I'd probably walk out if I was even asked for Facebook credentials. I don't even friend my co-workers -- unless we're actually friends and spend time together.

I don't think I'd be able to take a job at a place like that even if I was hungry and homeless. Any place that would make it policy to ask for such information I already know I would simply not mesh with as an employee and likely be fired or quit. That and I value freedom and have a strong disinterest in an over-reaching government or corporation and would rather tell them to get bent than cave to their policies.

Anonymouse

Can't you just say you don't have a Facebook? No employer would be able to track mine down since it's under a different name, no main photo, and uses a different email than what I use for sending out resumes. Even if they had access to it I don't put anything work unsafe since I have a lot of family on mine.

YuckTheFankees

Anonymouse wrote: »

Can't you just say you don't have a Facebook? No employer would be able to track mine down since it's under a different name, no main photo, and uses a different email than what I use for sending out resumes. Even if they had access to it I don't put anything work unsafe since I have a lot of family on mine.

^ that makes two of us

the_Grinch

You could definitely say you don't have one, but depending on the position they could still find it. Let's say your going for a security clearance, they ask (I know on the federal side they do not ask if you have a Facebook) you say no I don't have one. So in the course of his investigation he asks you neighbors, friends, colleagues, professors "does so and so have a Facebook?" and they answer honestly not even thinking about it "yeah he's on there all the time." Now you have a problem. As I said, I don't agree with them asking for your creds (aside from positions in Law Enforcement/National Security and in that case letting them know you have one should be enough), but as with anything online "if you wouldn't tell a perfect stranger x, don't put it online." You could literally make it a full time job removing any tags of you, talking to friends to take down pictures, and all the other fun involved with Facebook.

As an aside, I have a friend who's husband is a police officer and he was a corrections officer prior to that, who was receiving threatening messages from people who disliked her husband (due to the nature of his job). Thus no more Facebook for her, it's a scary thing to have that's for sure.

SteveLord

Zentraedi wrote: »

What next? Asking you to turn your head and cough during the interview?

Are you saying I should be concerned with the fact I am having this done monthly? The pictures taken every time I assume are for archiving my health. I've been wearing no pants to work on those days to make the process quicker.

RobertKaucher

SteveLord wrote: »

Are you saying I should be concerned with the fact I am having this done monthly? The pictures taken every time I assume are for archiving my health. I've been wearing no pants to work on those days to make the process quicker.

Well, there is the comfort factor as a silver lining.

Akaricloud

I really don't support this idea at all. Many people, myself included, successfully separate their work and personal life. An employer asking for access to your facebook or twitter basically says that they won't allow that.

If HR asked for mine I'd give it to them but they'd have one hell of a WTF moment looking through my twitter.