In recent years, some employers have started asking applicants to provide their passwords and log-in information for social media sites as part of the interview process.
An employer with access to an applicant’s password can bypass privacy settings and see material the applicant intended to make available only to chosen viewers.
More than 20 states have passed laws making it illegal for employers to ask applicants to hand over their usernames and passwords to their private social media accounts.
Applicants cannot be forced to pull up their social media accounts during an interview or tell the employer about the contents of their social media pages.
Even in states without such a law, asking for social media login information might run afoul of general state privacy laws or federal computer privacy laws.
David Payab, Esq. from The Law Offices of Payab & Associates can be reached @ (818) 918-5522 or online.
