New Hippo Techie: Keep passwords to yourself (PLUS insta-update!)

Some things are off limits during a job interview. You can’t be asked your age, your religion, your marital or family status, or anything about your health. Even if something seems relevant to the job at hand, a question has to be asked in a very narrow and specific way to be considered legal.

Or they could just ask for your Facebook password and read it all from your profile.

Read the full column at The Hippo.

UPDATE: After this column was submitted for publication, the US House voted down what many news sources are calling legislation that would make it illegal for employers to ask for your social media passwords. In fact, the amendment to a communications law would have simply clarified that the Federal Communications Commission still had the power to make such a rule:

SEC. 5. PROTECTING THE PASSWORDS OF ONLINE USERS.

Nothing in this Act or any amendment made by this Act shall be construed to limit or restrict the ability of the Federal Communications Commission to adopt a rule or to amend an existing rule to protect online privacy, including requirements in such rule that prohibit licensees or regulated entities from mandating that job applicants or employees disclose confidential passwords to social networking web sites.

Leave a Reply