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Europe Says Employers Must Warn Job Applicants Before Checking Them Out on Social Media (cnn.com)
Europe has a message for employers: Think twice before you check the social media profiles of job applicants. From a report: European officials have issued new guidelines that warn bosses about the legal hazards of scrolling through the social media profiles of potential hires. The rules require employers to issue a disclaimer before they check applicants' online accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and LinkedIn. If applicants don't see the warning, the company could be in breach of European Union data protection rules. Employers are also barred from compiling social media data as part of the hiring process unless it is "necessary and relevant" for a particular job. The guidelines are part of a lengthy document clarifying data protection laws that apply to employers across 28 EU countries.
It actually makes perfect sense. Would you like to be disqualified from a job for something that you do on your free time that is perfectly legal, and in no way related to your job, but your employer finds objectionable?
For instance, I am a biker. I go to biker bars. I go to various bike week events. I take pictures. I post them on Facebook so that my biker friends can enjoy them, and am not ashamed of any of them even a little bit. All of which is perfectly legal and in no way related to my job or performance as an IT person. What if my employer is a prude and doesn't like the fact that I have pictures of bikini clad women on my Facebook and decides not to hire me, or even worse, fire me, solely based on their prudishness? How I choose to spent my free time is none of my employer's business as long as it does not impact my work.
For me, personally, that won't be an issue because I keep my account on private and I would never agree to give my credentials to any potential employer. I also do not "friend" people from work. For others, that might not be the case.