Employers, colleges demanding facebook logins

Started by Iniquitous, March 07, 2012, 09:39:27 PM

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Iniquitous


Oddly enough, while talking to my mother earlier today I made mention of the fact that it seemed like we were rapidly descending into a society eerily similar to '1984' (and promptly had to explain what I meant since she had no clue what I was referencing) because my direct supervisor at work has sent a friend request to my facebook account.

Now, I have nothing to hide on my FB page (though I do have it set to private) but I also do not believe in mixing my private life with my work environment. I do not have coworkers on my page, I did not join the FB page for the company I work for, and I most certainly do not have any supervisor as friend.

Then I find this while randomly surfing through news stories. I first found it on msn.com news feed, and I promptly did a search to see if I could find anything else on it. I found quite a few stories from last year about employers demanding facebook login information and then I found a story posted yesterday about the same thing.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but there is no way in hell I would agree to turn over my information. I do not care that all I ever post to my wall is pictures of LOLcats, my daughter's artwork, random posts from George Takai (probably butchered his last name there), the occasional meme about current politics and inspirational pictures. The point is, NO ONE but me gets my login information.

This country is seriously going to pot and we are losing our right to privacy one giant leap at a time. It's disgusting.
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Envious

I thought the first rule of having a password was NEVER SHARE YOUR PASSWORD! They miss that memo?

Shjade

People tend to look at me funny when I tell them I've never used Facebook, largely out of privacy concerns.

Funny, right?
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Callie Del Noire

Well if that is the case I'll have to make a 'work' Facebook account, because I don't always share the outlook of my family and friends.. and I don't want their posts that appear on my page to effect the chances I get a job.

That and what I do in my private life is none of their damn business when I'm not breaking the law.

Trieste

There was a follow-up about this on MSNBC a couple days ago. States are moving to make laws that prohibit demands for social media logins, and Facebook reps came right out and said it's against their TOS for anyone to share their password with anyone else, including an employer.

There is a lot of protection going into place for employees, although the same can't be said of student athletes. Student athletes have been required to have a coach (and whoever else the team deems necessary) "friended" on Facebook, and some places have demanded logins and passwords as well. Because they're dealing with student athletes and not workers' rights, they can get away with telling the students that if you don't comply, you don't play. I guess if you're going to college on an athletics scholarship, you get to choose between having your privacy violated or losing your education.

It was a fun article.

Callie Del Noire

I'd simply create a 'student' FB account (google+, twitter, whatever).

Just because they SAY they have the right to access doesn't mean they have the right to have my login credentials.

SinXAzgard21

Seems students should start setting up faux accounts just to be prepared... Though the thought of schools doing this is absolutely retarded.
If you know me personally, you know how to contact me.

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: SinXAzgard21 on March 08, 2012, 12:57:52 AM
Seems students should start setting up faux accounts just to be prepared... Though the thought of schools doing this is absolutely retarded.

Seems common sense to me. You do one thing like planning out your 'professional' online ID as well as a private. I don't' use my  'private' online ID for stuff I do for myself.. and a 'pro' one for things like job sites, schools, and such. Just like a your message on a  phone on your resume shouldn't be something stupid, your email shouldnt' be 'hotjuicysexyguy@anywhere.com'. Presentation is important.

Will

#8
Quote from: Trieste on March 07, 2012, 11:39:45 PM
There was a follow-up about this on MSNBC a couple days ago. States are moving to make laws that prohibit demands for social media logins, and Facebook reps came right out and said it's against their TOS for anyone to share their password with anyone else, including an employer.

There is a lot of protection going into place for employees, although the same can't be said of student athletes. Student athletes have been required to have a coach (and whoever else the team deems necessary) "friended" on Facebook, and some places have demanded logins and passwords as well. Because they're dealing with student athletes and not workers' rights, they can get away with telling the students that if you don't comply, you don't play. I guess if you're going to college on an athletics scholarship, you get to choose between having your privacy violated or losing your education.

It was a fun article.

The student-athlete situation can be a little different.  The NCAA has a terrible, monstrous pile of rules about what a student-athlete can and cannot do, mostly about receiving compensation for play.  If a student breaks those rules, both the student-athlete and the school's athletic program face consequences.  I can't blame a school for trying to cover their ass.  Money can come from anywhere.  It's still a ridiculous overstepping of boundaries, but I think it's more a consequence of a larger problem than a problem in itself.

Either way, be it employer or coach that asks, I don't think they have a leg to stand on.  I'm glad to hear so many moves have been made against that sort of thing.  Good news, for once.
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gaggedLouise

#9
Any employer, college, church, union, media community etc demanding that a member MUST be active on Facebook (if that is what some of these henchmen are asking?) and then demanding friend status for themselves to see whatevere you put up, should have a *lot* to explain. And they should have to do it in public, to the open media (not on FB, that is).

I am not on FB in any sense these days, never held a facebook acoount linked to my "vanilla self" and have serious issues with the lack of transparency when it comes to one's privacy on FB. For one thing, why can't a member who is being approached by others check out who they are, where they live (if they haven't stated it on the open-to-all part fo their profile) or, like, give them a "trial friend status"? The obvious idea, from FB:s owners, is to encourage us to instantly accept most of those who ask for friend status and maximize sharing of personal updates, because that help the sales of ads and info to their advertisers, but this doesn't square with how I go about handling friends and other people in an unknown environment. Online or offline.

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Autumn Sativus

I would simply find this terribly amusing during an interview. My facebook name and my legal name are not the same and tracing back my professional email address will bring you to the facebook page of my cat. Good luck. A simple "I don't use Facebook." is all anyone is ever going to get out of me in that regard. They can't prove otherwise without the information to do so.

In all seriousness though... I find the personal privacy violation here absolutely disgusting and do hope it's dealt with swiftly.

I choose who I send a text message to. I choose who I speak to on the phone. I choose which of my friends find out details about my life. My Facebook account is no different.
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RubySlippers

I think everyone shouls learn what the laws are for requesting personal information of any kind from your ID and ssn to this and use common sense if not sure. Here is what the SSA says about giving out the ssn to parties:

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/78/~/legal-requirements-to-provide-your-ssn

I think the questions at the bottom should be used by anyone asked for any information including Facebook. It seems prudent to say no unless the law demands that you comply and there is no such law which then makes it elective. If elective I can choose to or not and generally in this case I would refuse. I don't use FB just would consider the request intrusive.

I tend to be a hard ass now unless its required by law I won't show or hand over any of my ID or use my ssn, period. I educated myself in state law and in when these are generally expected to be shown and I try to avoid having to do so by avoiding some activities outright. And if a party insists they can show me the statutes in writing or get a court order to hand over my information and those are options but just insisting is not going to get me to comply.

Oniya

Quote from: Saffron on March 08, 2012, 08:04:08 AM
I would simply find this terribly amusing during an interview. My facebook name and my legal name are not the same and tracing back my professional email address will bring you to the facebook page of my cat. Good luck. A simple "I don't use Facebook." is all anyone is ever going to get out of me in that regard. They can't prove otherwise without the information to do so.

In all seriousness though... I find the personal privacy violation here absolutely disgusting and do hope it's dealt with swiftly.

I choose who I send a text message to. I choose who I speak to on the phone. I choose which of my friends find out details about my life. My Facebook account is no different.

This.  I set up a different email address for my Facebook account, and it's not the one my employers would get.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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SinXAzgard21

Quote from: Saffron on March 08, 2012, 08:04:08 AM
I would simply find this terribly amusing during an interview. My facebook name and my legal name are not the same and tracing back my professional email address will bring you to the facebook page of my cat. Good luck. A simple "I don't use Facebook." is all anyone is ever going to get out of me in that regard. They can't prove otherwise without the information to do so.

In all seriousness though... I find the personal privacy violation here absolutely disgusting and do hope it's dealt with swiftly.

I choose who I send a text message to. I choose who I speak to on the phone. I choose which of my friends find out details about my life. My Facebook account is no different.

Your cat has a Facebook... hahahah awesome.
If you know me personally, you know how to contact me.

DarklingAlice

I really don't get the impetus to use Facebook in the first place, but it seems like common sense that private things are private. My employer is entitled to know what I do on work time, but a not at any other moment (so long as I don't hold out to be representing said employer). The fact that it is getting to the point that there needs to be a law against this is disturbing.
For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, elegant, and wrong.


Chris Brady

You do know that the U.S. Government has access to all the information you have put on Facebook, right?  Phone numbers, email addresses, schools, locations  names of associates/family and their information as well?  There's nothing private about Facebook, privacy settings or not.  And by the way, that includes international Facebook users as well.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

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DarklingAlice

Quote from: Chris Brady on March 16, 2012, 12:12:29 AM
You do know that the U.S. Government has access to all the information you have put on Facebook, right?  Phone numbers, email addresses, schools, locations  names of associates/family and their information as well?  There's nothing private about Facebook, privacy settings or not.  And by the way, that includes international Facebook users as well.

Regardless of whether they are actually correct, I think people are more okay/resigned to have their government have that kind of information about them than private business interests.
For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, elegant, and wrong.


Chris Brady

Quote from: DarklingAlice on March 16, 2012, 07:17:44 AM
Regardless of whether they are actually correct, I think people are more okay/resigned to have their government have that kind of information about them than private business interests.
Fair point, but as a side note, it seems that at one point Canada was looking to sue FB for breach of Privacy (we're very strict on that) due to their terms of service and what they do with information.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

kylie

     I can see this at least a couple ways:

1.  It's a way for employers to demand that you dedicate more private time to the job.  Take a space that they know people have used for viral networking, and demand that they show a persona in that space that fits the company line.  Then perhaps require that people receive mail on that space, keep it updated with upbeat happy company conversation, ask questions about why don't you... with that space at work...  All very informal and merely "maintaining a positive work culture."  In many parts, nothing formally required or for pay or official at all, or it wouldn't be necessary at least for most of this to occur.

2.  The one that's been mentioned more -- It's a screening mechanism, with the assumption that understanding an applicant's private psychology is of central importance to good business.  Sort of like some companies require personality tests, but probably much less standardized.
     

Oniya

If my company demanded that I use a Facebook page for work, I could deal with that.  It would share no links whatsoever with my personal page, though.  I'd do my best to maintain a 7 Bacon-number between it and my personal page, in fact.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
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Autumn Sativus

Quote from: Oniya on March 17, 2012, 11:45:29 PM
If my company demanded that I use a Facebook page for work, I could deal with that.  It would share no links whatsoever with my personal page, though.  I'd do my best to maintain a 7 Bacon-number between it and my personal page, in fact.
Agreed.

If they want me to use it for work, fine. I'll use it for work and nothing else and then, only when I'm at work.
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RubySlippers

I would tell such parties if I had such an account - no. Its simple its none of their business.

As for the government that is why I don't have a Facebook account they could get such information anyway but at least it will cost them money and time to do so and I have no wish to make things easy for them or anyone else.

SRT4NightRider

Reviving a somewhat old thread but here are my 2 cents:

I am working at an insurance company and a law firm. One thing I can tell you that employeers are trying to shield themselves from possible lawsuits. With that said, I would never give my Twitter/Facebook to anyone. First off, its my way to express my feelings without NAMING others, esp when I just use "He" or "she" instead of the person's name. Plus, none of my coworkers are on my Facebook/Twitter.
For the countless souls who died, let our voices fill this night. Sing with me, never again!. They aren't lost, you see. The truth will live in me, believe me.

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Callie Del Noire

http://raganwald.posterous.com/i-hereby-resign
http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/03/epic-resignation-letter-is-satire-sparks-serious-discussion-about-employee-privacy-and-facebook/

This letter is satire BUT the issues the author brings up are valid. By demanding access to Facebook (Myspace, Google+, Twitter, whateverisnext) you can be accused of some of the things used in that example..and by doing so you're opening yourself to a LOT of liability and such.

I wish the guy had been a little more clear about this being a satire.

Trieste

Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, in a job interview I don't have a Facebook, a Twitter, or any other social media save perhaps LinkedIn (which I never use).