Want a job? Facebook password, please
The public seems to universally oppose the practice of sharing social network passwords, yet it’s on the rise at some organizations. Would you hand yours over?
An Associated Press story on Tuesday reignited this debate that started three years ago when the city of Bozeman, Mont., asked job applicants to provide usernames and passwords for their social media accounts.
Ultimately, Bozeman officials abandoned the practice, but many organizations have picked up where the Montana city left off.
“As the job market steadily improves, other job candidates are confronting the same question from prospective employers, and some of them cannot afford to say no.
“In their efforts to vet applicants, some companies and government agencies are going beyond merely glancing at a person’s social networking profiles and instead asking to log in as the user to have a look around.”
On social media sites such as Twitter, the overwhelming response to this hot-button debate is “hell no,” with people calling the request “ridiculous” and “shameful.”
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