First U.S. state to prohibit employers from requiring passwords to employees' profiles on Facebook

11.4.2012

Maryland became the first U.S. state to pass a bill that prohibits employers from requiring access to their employees' and job seekers' profiles on Facebook and other social networks. The bill now has to be to signed into law by the state's governor Martin O'Malley. Employees and job applicants will then gain the right to refuse employers' requests for their user names and passwords. Employers will not be able to refuse a job seekers or punish existing employees who refuse.

Maryland legislators react to the growing volume of cases when especially public institutuions demand passwords to job-seekers' profiles so that they could be better examined. Similar legislation is beeing addressed at the federal level, too. Two federal senators turned to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to review whether this "new disturbing trend" did not violate the existing laws and how to manage it.

Facebook director for privacy Erin Egan urged the social network's users not to tell employers the passwords to their profiles. According to her, employers have no right to request the passwords because it is not in accordance with the terms of use of the service.

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