Good news has just arrived for any University students who are seeking a job: Facebook will not allow potential employers to delve into your private lives through your profile. Facebook recently spoke out against an increasingly commonplace practice in which interviewers request an interviewee's Facebook password in order to gain access to and browse his or her information. This was a laudable move by Facebook, which has been criticized in the past for neglecting or overlooking the security of its individual members. Hopefully this move will actually stop employers from asking for Facebook passwords, as such requests are quite intrusive into people's personal lives and thus an inappropriate form of applicant screening. Such intrusion differs from already justified ones including drug testing, for instance, since having a Facebook account is not an illegal action.
Facebook or other forms of social networking no doubt present an interesting opportunity to employers. It is now possible to spy on people's social interactions through pictures, videos and comments, all while not physically engaging with them. From that standpoint, it even makes sense to ask for an employee or job applicant's Facebook password. What cannot be learned from an interview or a resume could be found on a person's social networking profile. A profile can highlight information about which employers are curious. The pictures, personal beliefs, preferences and interactions with others which are evident on Facebook can speak volumes about one's personality and character. Nevertheless, even if Facebook can serve as a convenient portal into an individual's personal life, employers should not be tempted to demand possible employees sacrifice privacy so the employer can gain access to their profiles.
Simply because a person's Facebook profile information has been posted on the Internet does not mean it is automatically open to inquiry and scrutiny, given that the profile has privacy settings enabled which bar public viewing. It remains an extension of the user's personal life, and should be respected as such. It would be considered a breach of privacy for employers to demand the password to one's email account or financial information, despite the fact that both also exist on the Internet. Facebook recognizes this, and it is against the company's terms and conditions to share account passwords.
That being said, an individual is also responsible for enacting the proper security measures to ensure his profile is actually private information. Facebook provides the means to do this, but if employees do not take the proper steps, their Facebook pages will be viewable. There is nothing wrong with employers browsing an employee's Facebook if the information is open to everyone, and if employees do not mind the freedom with which strangers can view their profiles, there is no problem. Yet those who wish to keep their information between themselves and a select number of others would do well to confirm their desired security settings.
If people put in place security settings which ban employers from easily accessing their Facebook information, then they reserve the right to only voluntarily permit access to their profiles. Thus, it is an overly intrusive request to demand that interviewees hand over their passwords. So too is an employer's demanding that a job candidate "friend" the business or interviewer on Facebook. Previously, it would have put job candidates in an awkward position to deny an employer's requests. That perhaps would have made them look as if they were hiding something, and may have jeopardized their chances at being hired. It is fortunate, then, that Facebook is stepping in and affirming its opposition to those who would try to coerce employees or applicants into giving up passwords.
Of course, there are still ways in which employers may get around Facebook's regulations. They could, for instance, take the first step by inviting prospective employees to friend them on Facebook, making the choice seem optional. Yet those who do not accept such a scouting request could still be viewed as if they have incriminating content on their profiles and consequently may not be favored as strongly for the job. The fact that Facebook is actively intervening, though, still helps the employees and interviewees by highlighting the unethical requests for private profile information.
The problem is not that employers are embracing the Internet as a source of information about workers. There are still numerous ways in which someone's personal information may find its way onto the Internet - Google yourself, and you may be surprised what appears. The issue is that one of the most information-rich and convenient sources of personal information is often protected by its user. Employers must realize they are likely viewed by job applicants - and even by some employees - as strangers and thus may reasonably be denied access to Facebook profiles. And, like strangers, they should not have the right to demand passwords from users.
Alex Yahanda is a senior associate editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.yahanda@cavalierdaily.com.
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