New Laws and Legislation Regarding This TopicAlthough there is a high possibility that employers will be looking at social media, ranging from Facebook and Twitter to LinkedIn before they hire an applicant, there is still debate over whether it should be legal to require or even ask for passwords and usernames for unrestricted access.
Recently Senate Bill 195 cleared the Senate by overwhelming majority. The bill would prohibit employers from requesting usernames and passwords from potential candidates. An article from Independent Record and the Associated Press stated that senators felt that this would protect prospective employees' personal lives from intrusion that was undesired. Anders Blewett, a Democratic senator from Great Falls, said that employers already have access to applicants' public information. Access that he said is vast, and enough to base employment upon. Opponents argued the measure would place too many limits on an employer's ability to monitor behavior - especially for security reasons. The bill was eventually rejected by the Republican led House Business and Labor Committee. |
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