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New trend: potential employers asking for password access to FB accounts as part of interview procedure

21 replies

plutocrap · 23/03/2012 22:16

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9162356/Facebook-passwords-fair-game-in-job-interviews.html

Seems an utterly monstrous invasion of privacy, though thankfully, so far, the article indicates it remains mostly American in scope!

P.S. Fear not: it's not the DM, but the Telegraph.

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JustHecate · 23/03/2012 22:20

link not working for me

JustHecate · 23/03/2012 22:22

found it. well, if that's going to happen, I'd simply have 2 facebook accounts. Create a fake 'perfect employee' one.

Bloody horrible invasion of privacy though. Some employers think they own employees body and soul 24/7

Sandalwood · 23/03/2012 22:23

I know of a few people who look people up on facebook while deciding whether or not to employ them.
Can't red the article about the password access though.

EdithWeston · 23/03/2012 22:26

I wonder what such an employer would make of me - someone who doesn't have a FB account? I wonder if I'd be struck from the short list because they wouldn't believe me?

It's been common practice for some time to google candidates.

LackaDAISYcal · 23/03/2012 22:29

Surely they will mostly get the "lackadaisycal only shares Information with friends" message sandalwood? Or maybe that's the point, if people have a modicum of privacy about them they are a better employment bet than someone who bleats to the world and his wife about their banging hangover on a Monday morning.

Hoooooge invasion of privacy imo, and I have nothing to hide, apart from comments about my DH, who doesn't have a fb account Blush

TheCrackFox · 23/03/2012 22:31

I think it would indicate that the potential employer will probably turn out to be a massive bell end.

giraffesCantDonateBoneMarrow · 23/03/2012 22:34

That is daft. You could be an angel on facebook and post slander and shit all over twitter/bebo/a blog.

thenightsky · 23/03/2012 22:35

LackaDAISYcal If they ask for the password they will get the full lot, like you'd signed in yourself surely? Confused

southeastastra · 23/03/2012 22:36

i'd let a company own me body and soul for the right pay Grin

america is very corporate led, class wise isn't it.

plutocrap · 23/03/2012 22:37

Sorry, I'm an idiot. I put the elements of the link the wrong way round!

Try this

Totally agree that it's a red flag about the employer.

I can think of two people, off the top of my head, who have different names for Facebook, because they want to keep it separate for work. I never put my maiden name in, as that's the name I use for work. And there are plenty of people like you, EdithWeston, who stay off facebook entirely!

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LackaDAISYcal · 23/03/2012 22:41

Of course they would thenightsky Blush

I would refuse to give my password though and if that cost me the job, so be it!

Hassled · 23/03/2012 22:44

I have FBd people I know I'm going to interview before now. And if their security is watertight and I can't see a thing then they already have brownie points in my head. It's like an initial test before the test.

PigeonPie · 23/03/2012 22:47

I think the other thing which I found concerning was the fact that some companies are demanding passwords to email which I think is an enormous invasion of privacy.

They wouldn't expect to open my post as it's against the law so why should I give my email passwords.

plutocrap · 23/03/2012 23:16

Bloody financially (and legally) irresponsible, too! My bank warned me that I should pin-protect my mobile once they started sending me weekly mini-statements.

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scaryteacher · 24/03/2012 19:22

I'm like Edith - no FB account here.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 24/03/2012 19:26

Bollocks to that. Why the hell would anyone actually give them a password for any of your personal stuff.

zipzap · 24/03/2012 20:14

Makes you worry where this is going to end up...

I cam sort of see how googling someone and looking at their fb to see if it is nicely private can be useful pre-interview, even if it doesn't thrill me as an idea (not least as if you google my name it comes up first with a stripper in Amsterdam - not me I hasten to add but probably wouldn't be a great starting point :o).

But then asking for a password so they can see - and that would also enable them to post or change things in your account - would be a really dangerous thing to do. What if they did do something while logged in as you that you didn't like? No proof that you didn't do it if you have given your password to them and probably no comeback. Can you imagine what house insurers would say if you had to give your house keys to potential employers - who will be strangers to you at that point most probably- and let them wander around your house when you are not there. Most would be fine but there could be some bad ones that do damage or nick stuff and there would be no comeback.

And this is only the thin end of the wedge - next they will want access to ALL your accounts - especially if you have more than one on fb (so you can't get away with having a special one for show purposes) and then they'll want access to twitter and linked in and all public forums that you post on - can you imagine how you'll feel when they'll want to know your mn nickname and then want to check out all your mm posts?

And of course if you use the same password for more than one thing (or have a system that people could guess at and extrapolate to other sites), you might discover that - be it now or a few years down the line once you've got the job and these details are lurking in your hr file and dug out by a disgruntled colleague) that they have managed to access your bank or amazon account or mn and really screwed you over on all sorts of levels.

A very slippery slope once you are being asked to provide passwords...

CherryBlossom27 · 24/03/2012 20:20

This is mad! There is no way I would give an employer those details!

mathanxiety · 31/03/2012 03:31

Afaik, there is at least one state legislature debating outlawing this.

thefroggy · 31/03/2012 03:48

They could kiss my ass. No way would I give anyone my fb password. What difference to my job would it make if I attended a friend's birthday and got totally pissed on a Saturday night? (not that it's likely to happen considering I haven't been out for two years).

plutocrap · 03/04/2012 22:32

Thanks for that, mathanxiety, although it's bloody shocking that they need to explicitly outlaw something like this!

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