3 ms·

Is this a common thing in US? I can't think of any good reason for an employer to get access to a prospective employees account. Sounds like the equivalent of a

by oskarth 15y ago

Is this a common thing in US? I can't think of any good reason for an employer to get access to a prospective employees account. Sounds like the equivalent of asking to access a person's home to make sure it is well kept and that they have good taste.

unimpressive 15y ago
It's slowly becoming one. I suspect this will stop the moment someone sues. Because I have total confidence that person will win. EDIT: Let me go ahead and put emphasis on "slowly". As waterlesscloud points out, right now it's very uncommon. The only reason it's on the agenda at all is because there's been headlines about insane employers asking to see employees Facebook profiles.
- revscat 15y ago
  What is infuriating is that there is no political will to put a legal stop to this practice. I suspect that this means that as businesses learn how to alleviate the OP's concerns that they will do it more and more as time goes on, until it becomes the new normal. Libertarianism being the dominant political philosophy of the moment such encroachments seem inevitable.
  - orangecat 15y ago
    Libertarianism being the dominant political philosophy of the moment I fail to understand how one could look at the events of the last decade and determine that the major problems are that people have too much freedom and government has too little power.
    - prodigal_erik 15y ago
      When unemployment skyrockets and employers may begin colluding to wield all the indirect coercion they like, because threatening homelessness and possibly starvation is somehow more ethical than threatening violence, that's a libertarian policy towards non-state power.
      - orangecat 15y ago
        Interestingly, most of the employers that have been specifically identified as demanding Facebook passwords are government agencies: http://courantblogs.com/investigative-reporting/claim-check-employers-asking-for-facebook-passwords/ http://courantblogs.com/investigative-reporting/claim-check-...
waterlesscloud 15y ago
No. It's very uncommon.

by oskarth 15y ago

unimpressive 15y ago

It's slowly becoming one. I suspect this will stop the moment someone sues. Because I have total confidence that person will win. EDIT: Let me go ahead and put emphasis on "slowly". As waterlesscloud points out, right now it's very uncommon. The only reason it's on the agenda at all is because there's been headlines about insane employers asking to see employees Facebook profiles.

revscat 15y ago
What is infuriating is that there is no political will to put a legal stop to this practice. I suspect that this means that as businesses learn how to alleviate the OP's concerns that they will do it more and more as time goes on, until it becomes the new normal. Libertarianism being the dominant political philosophy of the moment such encroachments seem inevitable.
- orangecat 15y ago
  Libertarianism being the dominant political philosophy of the moment I fail to understand how one could look at the events of the last decade and determine that the major problems are that people have too much freedom and government has too little power.
  - prodigal_erik 15y ago
    When unemployment skyrockets and employers may begin colluding to wield all the indirect coercion they like, because threatening homelessness and possibly starvation is somehow more ethical than threatening violence, that's a libertarian policy towards non-state power.
    - orangecat 15y ago
      Interestingly, most of the employers that have been specifically identified as demanding Facebook passwords are government agencies: http://courantblogs.com/investigative-reporting/claim-check-employers-asking-for-facebook-passwords/ http://courantblogs.com/investigative-reporting/claim-check-...

waterlesscloud 15y ago

No. It's very uncommon.