Maryland Bans Employers From Asking For Facebook Passwords

Freddybear writes with news that yesterday Maryland passed a bill through both houses of the state legislature that would forbid employers from requiring job applicants or employees to provide access to social media accounts. The bill now awaits only the signature of governor Martin O'Malley. "The bill is the first of its kind in the country, and has shined a spotlight on the practice of employers demanding personal social media passwords from potential hires, [said Melissa Goemann of the ACLU]." Similar legislation is being developed in California, Illinois and Michigan, according to the Washington Post.

Comments

Re:I hope it isn't too specific.

[TheBlueCrab]

It seems like its broad enough. Here's the actual bill itself.

Re:Do employers really ask for your fb password?

[MaskedSlacker]

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department requires it for one that I know of personally.

Re:Not a problem

[LordLucless]

No, just create a "People That Suck" group, set your default privacy policy to exclude that group, and add your employer to that group. To your employer, it'll just look like you never use Facebook.