Facebook bans employers from snooping on job seekers' profiles

Reports of prospective employers asking for Facebook passwords during the hiring process or as terms of employment has the social networking site upset. Facebook says asking for your password is a violation of privacy, and very well could set up the employer for legal action.

Criticism of the practice came to a head earlier this week following an Associated Press story detailing several individuals who had been subjected to disclosing their passwords to either obtain or to keep a job. Employers' attempts to peer into your social life has the attention of lawmakers too: in both Maryland and Illinois legislation is being considered to make the practice illegal.

Legislation at the federal level is sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). That bill would make it a violation of federal law for employers to use Facebook accounts as a condition of employment. He told Politico on Wednesday that he saw it as an "unreasonable invasion of privacy" and would have a bill ready soon.

Facebook argues that disclosing your password to employers not only breaches your own privacy but that of your friends. The site notes that sharing or soliciting passwords violates Facebook's terms of service.

"As a user, you shouldn’t be forced to share your private information and communications just to get a job", chief privacy officer Erin Egan writes in a Friday blog post. "And as the friend of a user, you shouldn’t have to worry that your private information or communications will be revealed to someone you don’t know and didn’t intend to share with just because that user is looking for a job".

Facebook notes that using the site to gather information for employment may put the employer at risk of being sued. For example, the Facebook user may be a member of a protected group, and by the employer not hiring the individual after accessing her profile could now be open to a discrimination claim. Egan also said that it's likely companies are not providing the right training on how to handle personal information.

Egan has a word of warning for those who continue to use Facebook in this manner: "We’ll take action to protect the privacy and security of our users, whether by engaging policymakers or, where appropriate, by initiating legal action, including by shutting down applications that abuse their privileges".

Egan emphasizes: "While we will continue to do our part, it is important that everyone on Facebook understands they have a right to keep their password to themselves, and we will do our best to protect that right".

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