The Illinois General Assembly is considering a measure that would bar employers from asking job applicants for their social media passwords.
In a down economy, people will do anything for a job. That's made some employers bold enough to demand your Facebook password as part of the application. At least, that's the story making its way around the Internet. If it's true, the phones are probably ringing off the hook at the American Civil Liberties Union ... right? Ed Yohnka is with the ACLU of Illinois. He says most news reports lead back to two just examples -- in Maryland and Montana. Even if the problem isn't widespread, Yohnka says the ban is a good idea because there are some zones of privacy that ought not to be penetrated in order for us to get a job.
State Representative LaShawn Ford is against the practice. The Chicago democrat says it gives employers access to personal and financial information on websites like Facebook and Twitter. Ford says the bill wouldn't ban employers from using information on job applicants' public profiles during hiring.
The proposal is still before the House Labor Committee. The legislation is HB 3782.
