Friday, April 6, 2012

Blog #4

The article that I chose is called “FacebookPassword isn’t your boss’ business”. It was written by CNN Reporter Doug Gross on March 22nd 2012. In the article it talks about how bosses are now asking for potential employees’ passwords to social media networking sites to get a more throughout insight into their potential employee. In the article it talks about huge controversies such as giving your password up to be “considered for employment, or be-friend on Facebook people from that company so they can keep an eye on you. This controversy has gotten attention from an ACLU attorney, who said it is a “violation of privacy” and “people are entitled to their own private lives”.  In the article it discussed a particular case where a man who was looking to get re-instated as a corrections officer in Baltimore got asked to give up his password. This particular case when I read about it in this article very much aggravated me for many reasons. The man was looking to get re-instated which meant he already was, so I felt this level of difficulty was ridiculous. Secondly, because after he gave him his private information, reluctantly of course, he proceeded to login right in front of him. This was extremely unprofessional, first for even asking, second for actually logging in. When the man asked him why, his response was “I’m looking through your messages, on your wall, and your photos to see if you are in a gang or have any gang affiliation.” This extremely outraged me, because of the fact that employers have no stooped this low, and secondly because of this particular case. This man has been a corrections officer before; he was just going to get re-instated. He got instated in the first place for a reason; they obviously did a very extensive background check before they even allowed him to be a corrections officer in the first place. I feel that this new “policy” is ridiculous, but in these tough times, with how the economy is going people can’t afford to not accommodate what the employers want because they need the jobs and that is unfortunate, because they have to give up their own personal privacy in the process.  

1 comment:

  1. I feel when you go in for a job interview; the employer has the right to look at your Facebook. You should have nothing to hide that work make you not get hired. Also, knowing that you are going for an interview, you should clean up your Facebook. Also, I would hope people would be smarter than to put up a picture of them drinking when trying to get a job. It's a disgrace for people to put pictures of them doing inappropriate stuff. It doesn't look good and it's unnecessary to have those pictures up on Facebook. Even though, I said all this, I don't believe it was right for the employer to look at his Facebook right in front of him. He does have the right to know about his life and background. Of course, there are privacy laws, but when working for a company; you need to know that whatever you have done in the past may bite you in the butt. Of course, it wasn't professional for him to look at right in front of him; I believe he has the right to look at it. I feel this way because I know if anyone to look at my Facebook, I have nothing to hide and I have nothing that would cause me to not get hired for a job.

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