Is it standard practice for potential employers to ask for your social media usernames to do background checks?

[Thesage]

Just that really. I've been called for an interview and they've asked me for my usernames to do a social media and Google check. Is this allowed? And are there any legitimate grounds for me to refuse? They also asked for my dob on their application, which is not usual these days, so was wondering about the legitimacy about asking for SM usernames. I am more than happy for them to search me on Google, social media with my name , but I feel that asking for usernames is going a bit too far? It's more of a matter of principle than anything else. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Right. So will you put cameras up in their home as well? After all you need to check that they're safe.
Is anyone likely to 'I abuse children' on their social media anyway? What are you really getting from social media that's linked to children's safety?

"I’ve seen D.O.B on applications for years though."

Even if it's not asked for, the dates of your school exams might be so your age is pretty obvious anyway.

"How could anyone let’s say find what I post on MN? From my email address?"

I suppose in a murder enquiry they could ask MN what email address you use for your profile.

Presumably they accessed it from the email sent to the whistleblowing policy contact. Exactly why I used a burner in the first place.

@Gwenhwyfar
Of course not. Nobody is looking to infiltrate every aspect of someone's life but people have been known to share all sorts of questionable aspects of their lives on Facebook alone, from potentially extremist views to a casual regard for the law. These are things that might make someone unsuitable to work with children. Anyone who has done basic safeguarding and child protection training will know only too well that abusers and predators can be hidden in fairly plain sight and it's part of safeguarding duty to at least recruit with a regard to why people want to work with children and whether you'd be happy to let them.

There's a balance between safeguarding from guilty people and invading the privacy of innocent people and we are presumed innocent until guilty. Looking at someone's social media that is readily available with their real name is fine. Forcing them to disclose a nickname they use anonymously is not fine.

I would object on principle, however if I gave them my totally locked down FB they would die of boredom.

Comment about an opera we went to recently.

Comment about a red card in rugby.

Comment about the referees career as a banker (at least I think that is what Dh said. Whistles in a manner most disingenuous.

Prior to that a comment re the price and quality of Christmas trees.

Like I said boredom. [Grin]

Several people have said they're not on, or don't do, social media, yet here they are, posting on a MN forum...

What if someone said "I am not on any SM."

Would they not be offered the job?

I never knew they couldn’t ask for date of birth - I’m sure I was asked last year by a nationwide company.

KCSIE 2023 formalises it.

Due diligence checks to filter out not just 'dodgy' people, but dodgy people without enough common sense to make their opinions untraceable to a member of SLT on their iPhone - so no posts complaining about the Age of Consent being ridiculous and 'love is love', videos in the toilets masturbating or talking about how feeeemales are past the point of usefulness once their body count reaches 2, no racism, no 'sink the boats with rocket launchers, they're all rapists and murderers anyway', no 'rah, we gave them a kicking until the pigs turned up', revolting comments under teenage girls' TikToks, no football violence, 'fucking slag bitch ex whore won't let see mi boy, she's gonna get her just deserts one day' etc, etc.

You know, the sort of thing that makes somebody unsuitable to be around women, children or decent human beings on the whole.