Requiring usernames & passwords to social network sites in job applications?!

Airam

Airam

Zen baby.
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Sineya
WTF?!

Applying for a job with the City of Bozeman? You may be asked to provide more personal information than you expected.

That was the case for one person who applied for employment with the City. The anonymous viewer emailed the news station recently to express concern with a component of the city's background check policy, which states that to be considered for a job applicants must provide log-in information and passwords for social network sites in which they participate.

The requirement is included on a waiver statement applicants must sign, giving the City permission to conduct an investigation into the person's "background, references, character, past employment, education, credit history, criminal or police records."

"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords.

The requirement raises questions concerning applicants' privacy rights.

Article 2, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution reads "the right of individual privacy is essential to the well-being of a free society and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest."

The City takes privacy rights very seriously, but this request balances those rights with the City's need to ensure employees will protect the public trust, according to city attorney Greg Sullivan.

"So, we have positions ranging from fire and police, which require people of high integrity for those positions, all the way down to the lifeguards and the folks that work in city hall here. So we do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the City," Sullivan said.

Another concern the applicant raised was that by providing the City with a Facebook user name and password the City not only has access to the applicant's page but also to the pages belonging to all of the applicant's Facebook "friends."

"You know, I can understand that concern. One thing that's important for folks to understand about what we look for is none of the things that the federal constitution lists as protected things, we don't use those. We're not putting out this broad brush stroke of trying to find out all kinds of information about the person that we're not able to use or shouldn't use in the hiring process," Sullivan said.

When asked about creating a separate Bozeman Facebook page, then asking applicants to add the City as "friend," thus allowing the City to view the applicant's profile, Sullivan said officials could explore the option. This would limit the city to only view the page of the applicant.

No one has ever removed his or her name from consideration for a job due to the request, Sullivan added.
Click to expand...

This doesn't even make sense to me, there's no way any job could possibly require you to give them your personal password to any website right?
 
Professor Walsh
Professor Walsh
That is SO not ok.
That's appalling if that's the case. There is no way I'd apply for a job where such a breach of privacy is required. I'd rather be a dishpig.

But yeah, that totally has a to be against privacy laws or something.
 
I know some jobs here look at Face Book and MySpace pages but they don't ask for the password. And I kinda think it's a good idea because if a woman is applying for a job at a company but has her ass out in her MySpace page, then the company should really reconsider. Same goes for a man who has pictures of himself smoking weed on his page.
 
1. How can they actualy expect you to give them your password? Links to your profile sure, but password? 😵
2. How can you fit it all on only 3 lines? =|
 
All our social networking pages are already being watched, at all times. Not just by employers.

I think it's totally out of order. If any employer was to have a look at my Facebook page, I'd never get a job.
 
H
Harm
[No message]
A
anyalover17
[No message]
Well I just think the actual asking of your password is whats crazy, I mean with that they can go in and read your mail even, thats complete invasion of privacy. I realize most employers check out all these sites, but IMO all they should be able to do is google you and whatever they come up with there is all they should have access to. My twitter, facebook and myspace are the first three hits when you google me... and if anyone is worried of what might be found out from a simple search like that they should be setting all their sites to private.
 
Just do what i do and create a fake myspace acccount for employers to see. I only check that account to get passwords for [air quotes] "adult" [/air quotes] websites anyway.
 
I think requiring your username and password is a violation of privacy. I can see them wanting the URL's for any websites a prospective employee owns or social networking sites they belong to.....a lot of employers are asking for those these days. It crosses the line to require an employee to give up their passwords, tho.
 
No way that I'd give up log in information. If they want to check out my page(s) that's fair game. Not something I like but I don't think it's that bad of an idea. Not for all jobs but definitely for certain ones. They want to make sure you get the right person and you can only get so much from an interview.

I'm pretty sure that demanding this kind of information would be illegal here but it's not like I've checked it out.
 
I've never seen anything like that here on an application. And if I did I would walk out. That's absolutely ridiculous. It's one thing if they want to run your email through these sites and see what they get but to ask for your passwords? Who would be okay with that? If they saw my Myspace or Facebook I would be so screwed. I can understand if it's a particular job like caring for children and you have drug love or porn all over your page but you don't need to give them total access to your personal life. What a bunch of crap...
 
I think it must be some kind of reverse test.

Who would want to hire anyone that is so stupid that they'll give away their passwords to social network pages on a job application paper?

So they will probably just throw away those applications that actually filled it in. 🙂

/SK
 
I never give out my passwords to any one let alone my work place. I fully expect my work to check social networking sites because that is how they are. That is partly why I lock everything and I have to approve anyone before they see any updates or information.
 
VisionGuy
VisionGuy
Same here.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too personal. I mean, passwords and such is just as private as your underwear. To me it's just like if they wanted to see photos of you naked.
 
There must be a way around that, like arn't there T&C's on Facebook that you aren't allowed to give your password to anyone else!

Although can you imagine being the person who's job it s to go through it all, most awesome job ever!
 
I think, like almost every one else seems to, that the problem lies in the asking for the password and username.

I have no problem with people seeing my facebook profile and myspace profile. It's a whole lot of stuff that will be utterly boring to them, but hey, if that's what they want, then they can go for it.

But providing my password? HELL no! Especially since I only have about 4 passwords that I use for EVERYTHING and change slightly (with numbers usually)! Work stuff, banking, alarm codes. No Way would I be giving any variant of these to anyone.
 
Y
yellowcrayon
Giiiiiiiive me your password, Cait! I need to check up on you!!!
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