When employers are looking to to take on a new member of staff it is becoming increasingly common for them to review the social media activity of that person, however it has also been found that many employees are being asked to hand over their log in information to allow employers to gain full access to site – this is now being outlawed in certain states in the US to protect the privacy of employees.
We all know that if you are wanting to get anew job then it is not generally a good idea to post inappropriate public pictures and comments of yourself on to various social media networks with the general rule being that if you don’t want people to see something then don’t publish or post it in the first place.
It has been commonplace for sometime now for employers to look into what their employees are up to through Facebook and Twitter posts but in general the control of what other people can see has always been in the hands of the user and if they do not want their boss as a friend on Facebook then they do not have to accept them!
However it has emerged that in the US an increasing number of employers are demanding that staff hand over their log in details to various social media sites to allow them to be able to have a deeper look at exactly what their employees may have been up to.
This has been seen as a serious breach of privacy in certain states in the US and because of this new legislation has been passed preventing any employer from making an employee pass over these private log in details.
In total six states in the US have now created laws that prevent employers from trying to coerce employees into giving up personal log in information with Illinois and California now joining Delaware, Maryland, Michigan and New Jersey in bringing in the law.
If the current trend continues then it could see the entire US having a similar law which would help massively in the protection of privacy through social media.
While it may be illegal to ask for log in information now in certain states it is still possible for employers to dismiss staff following information they have gathered on social media networks, especially if a member of staff is found to be violating corporate policies through social media.
So be careful what you post on your Facebook page or on Twitter – you never know who is watching and what repercussions it may have for you professionally!
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DSM Publishing is owned and operated by the husband and wife duo, Dominic and Samantha Milner. This powerhouse couple is experts in the field of Internet marketing and knows everything that there is to know about this challenging, yet highly rewarding industry.
The couple is not only experienced marketers themselves and through DSM Publishing, they bring their highly effective and powerful business strategies to fellow marketers who are looking to succeed in this industry.
