Facebook Takes a Stand On Employer Password Requests, But Won’t Pursue Legal Action

Today, Facebook users got a bit of a safeguard- albeit a toothless one- from Facebook when it comes to workplaces or potential employers requesting their login information for the social network.

While it seems a clear violation of privacy, social media privacy protections are not as of yet clearly addressed by other laws that handle both employment and privacy- and while many object to the practice of workplaces or potential employers requesting Facebook logins, workers are put in a difficult position when they face losing their jobs or handing over their Facebook logins. (And in the process, potentially revealing all sorts of personal and certainly private information to HR departments.)

Friday, Facebook vigorously decried the practice in a note on their own site, warning everyone that such actions are a violation of Facebook Terms of Service (which was evident), but also insinuating that employers who engaged in such practices could leave themselves open to litigation. The company did, however, follow up to clarify that Facebook does not plan at this time on actually pursuing any companies that attempt to violate their TOS:

“We don’t think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their passwords because we don’t think it’s right the thing to do… While we do not have any immediate plans to take legal action against any specific employers, we look forward to engaging with policy makers and other stakeholders, to help better safeguard the privacy of our users.”

Do you think a harsh warning from Facebook will scare people off Facebook snooping?

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Tags: Facebook, Facebook and Job Applicants, Facebook and Privacy, Social Media and Careers

About the Author

Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.