No way should a prospective employer have the right to ask for this personal data. FB itself is becoming too big. Too many websites force you to join in order to post.

Who's the one vote for yes? A boss?

Playing Devil's Advocate--can we really call Facebook personal? We're posting intimate details of our lives...on the internet. Even with all of the privacy settings, is it really a personal thing? With that said, even as Devil's Advocate..I can't get behind an employer asking for my password. The password is definitely the personal part.

It's against the terms of service (TOS) of all online social media sites to share your account login with anyone. I would simply tell the employer that doing so would force to violate the legal agreement I have with the online service and put me in legal jeopardy. Facebook it self said as much.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-and-privacy/protecting-your-passwords-and-your-privacy/326598317390057

If a potential employer asked me for my password, I would have to question whether that was a company I would really want to work for. It is doubtful that I would ever give out that information.

I'll throw in another hitch for the sake of discussion: Some employers are now asking prospective employees to "friend" a corporate FB account, so while they avoid requesting your password, they can still see your photos, status updates, etc. Is this an acceptable practice?

it has evolved to this in Brick it seems.....cops were told they can't have opposing political candidates bumper stickers on their personal cars and park in the complex parking lot while at work.....where does it end ?

You can block your updates ect... from certain people.
But you should not be require to friend a corporate enterprise. If that's a requirement for employment i say the can go suck it.

Another pot stirrer: if you won't give out your facebook password, or let yourself be forced to 'friend' a corporate website, why won't you? Is it the principle of the thing, that what's personal is personal, and none of your boss's business - or is it because you DO have something to hide?

It makes me wonder what employers can ask for once you're hired. This law only seems to pertain to the interview process. Facebook agreement notwithstanding, how much will they want to peek at once you're hired? And what's to stop them?

IDK why everyone is so jazzed up over this. Just tell the employer you DONT have FB if asked. That Simple.

But then that would be grounds for termination if they searched on fb and found you. Your falsifying info if you say you don't have one.
slippery slop if they were allowed to ask for fb password ect...

This isnt rocket science. If they ask you just tell them you dont have FB. Its that simple.

Another twist: who here is so hard up for a job that they'd consider a request like that? And how is this so far-flung from credit checks, or other places where your social security number is requested--and you don't get the job? We put a lot of trust in places we never end up working to keep this information private and secure.

Would an employer be able to ask for your bank account password as well? I would be very concerned over any employer who would ask for a password. With the password a employer would in effect be able to change any of your information on your account and even add comments as if they were you. What kind of employer would even ask such a question?

Okay, now 13 (and climbing) people have voted yes in the Patch poll. I'd love to hear your rationales as to why you think a prospective boss should be allowed to have your FB password. How about it, Yes Voters? Why did you vote that way?

As an employer myself, I have no interest in my employees' facebook accounts (if they even have one). I feel it would be an infringement on their personal lives for me to request such information. As for what they would/could/did/might post... that's covered under the 1st Amendment...

Dan this is old news.. Please try n stay current with society.. This story was big a month ago..

i would imagine the 6 percent who voted yes either don't have a fb account or don't know what it is. where does ANYONE get off thinking they should be given a private password to someones 'private' media account...fortunately i work for myself however whats to stop an employer asking someone for their email account passwords...lmao....i'd tell em to go jump in a lake.

I don't use Facebook and never will simply because I don't feel the need to know the whereabouts and every move of everyone that I know. I am already in contact with all of the people that I care to be. I know people at work talk about how they posted all of their vacation details, family photos, a family member's surgery or death etc and I think that is all too personal to be put in such a place. Then there are other co workers that simply spend their evenings stalking all of the others on there. This is all to childish for me, but no one should have anyone's password for anything!

Honestly, I see asking for my facebook password as asking if I minded them coming with me to have coffee with my friends, or asking to come look around my house before they hire me. Facebook is a virtual house, your page is a place were you express your views, have friends come and see it, comment on it, and interact. They have no business in my personal life. However, I could see jobs relating to National Security or high-end government requesting such information. If I was applying for a top FBI position I would be much more likely to see it as a legitimate request rather than just a way of snooping around in my life, than if the local McDonald's asked for that information.

Depends on the job. Law enforcement (not just "top FBI positions") routinely do this. Imagine if your local police department hired someone who had racial, anti-social, or criminal postings? Defense lawyers can and WILL subpoena an officer's facebook account in order to discredit him. "Your honor, here are Officer Smith's FB pic from his college years. Here is one where he's chugging a beer and it's dated March 1996. He was 18 at the time. And here is one were he is holding a bong..."

I know this is an extreme example but for any employee whose FB content could potentially embarass the employer has no right to privacy....or he can find alternate employment.

This privacy thing is like the tail wagging the dog. My advice is ditch your FB account and get over yourself or just keep it clean. Now how hard is that?

When you hit the Powerball and have to answer to nobody, do as you like.

Let’s start with the First Amendment. FB and the like exist and thrive because, in this country, we have that right. That ‘right’ is constantly under attack and placating a prospective employer’s whim to know what you have said in a social setting does little to protect that right.
If the employer wants to know what you have said anywhere on the “Net”, let them Google it. There are laws that prevent prospective employers from asking certain questions about you, like age, religion, marriage status, etc., so why should they be allowed to get into your Facebook account, with your account password?!?
On the other side of the coin, if you are an employee, don’t use your employer’s computer network or internet service for personal activities. If you do, you give up your right to privacy, in regard to what you do on their equipment.

LSNative - excellent advice.

A potential boss, or even a current boss asking for your FB password is the same as him or her asking for your cell phone so they can read all your texts to family and friends. It's exactly the same as a boss saying: "I'll be over at your house tonight and we'll go through your personal scrapbooks and family photo albums to see if they are approved..." Those are things you share with people of YOUR choosing, not with people who demand to see them for hiring purposes.
Nothing to hide? Maybe not. But who's to say?
What one person considers 'harmless fun' another person might consider 'inappropriate'.

Facebook and the like should be banned. I wish that fat guy had not invented the internet.

I always use my real name..... ;-)

Obviously, part of the problem is this facebook mentality. Why on earth would you post your religious/political views (your personal beliefs) on the internet? As the saying goes, you shouldn't discuss these topics with anyone who hasn't seen you naked and yet people are idiotic enough to post them in the internet?

When your 84 year old mother is denied a career move because her employer saw her pictures on facebook, you let me know.

You may be addicted to it but nobody NEEDS facebook. In fact, in this tight job market, your precious facebook should be way down on your list of priorities. If you fail to get a job because you refused to allow a potential employer access to you fb account (and you were too stupid not to clean up the night before), then your unemployment is wholly voluntary. The smarter person gets the job. You remain poor but at least you 'stood your ground.' Yay!

Decisions decisions......

Facebook....or feed my family?
Facebook....or starve?
Facebook....or forclosure?
Facebook ...or eviction?

Ok, you stick to your guns. I'll give them access to mine and I'll take that job/promotion. Thanks for making it that much easier for me! And the best part about it is their so-called "intrusion" won't bother me in the least. Your 'principled stand' is my opportunity.

Just wondering can you turn around & ask your boss/ Or HR Dept manager for theirs too? May sure its a company that you actually want to work for( & what they say about is actually true) see if your boss is someone that you are comfortable working with & has the same values as you??

Any employer forcing a prospective employee to give him/her their Facebook password is setting themselves up for one heck of a lawsuit if they either do not hire that employee or, later, terminate that employee. There is much information employers are not permitted to ask on many FB pages: race, religious orientation, marriage status, sexual orientation, whether there are children etc. Only a fool would dare cross this threshold. Public information is fair game, asking what you are not allowed to legally ask by other means is not.

Maybe I really am a dinosaur but I think that if anyone is either stupid enough or so self important enough in his or her own mind that they feel they have to post everything about their lives with pictures on Facebook or any of the other social networks, then they have to pay the price for it...I have turned down every request to "become someone's friend" because there is something that I cherish more than their friendship and that's my own privacy. If they want to contact me, there is a telephone and/or email. I find it appalling that so many people waste their time constantly on their iphones or whatever, emailing, texting or tweeting that they ignore everyone else around them. What a world we're living in now. It's as if they have no self respect. If they lay their lives open that way, they have lost the right to object if their employers want to see how stupid they are.

After my job was eliminated by my former employer, I was advised by a career counselor to join FB. Why? so potential employers would know I was "internet savvy" being that I am an "older" person-translation-you're over 50 so they think you can't use a computer. I joined FB and from day one my FB profile is locked down tighter than a drum. You can see my name and a lovely sunset-that's it. Under no circumstances would I allow an employer into my account-I have a profile, I can use a computer and that's all you need to know.

To the 'dinosaurs' who think Facebook is horrible:
I went to an International school in the UK. Facebook is a wonderful way to keep up with old friends who are all over the world. I feel like emailing demands a response, but putting things like photos and updates allows my friends to still be involved with my life and vice-versa. I love to go and look at photos and "like" them or leave comments but I wouldn't expect to be sent tons of pics by email. It's also great to have a conversation in those comments with others viewing the same thing. You ever try to have a conversation through email with several people? It's not pretty.

Sometimes, something happens in an instant that is amusing, could touch your heart or demands attention. Sharing this with several people quickly via Facebook is so much easier than having to call 20 people and relay the same story 20 times or send 20 emails.

To all saying employers looking is ok: Facebook is another means of communication. In comparison, would you hand over a transcript of a heated Thanksgiving discussion? Why? It's private and between family members, right? I think everyone has had instances where relatives say things that make you cringe and you wouldn't want their ideas to leave your home. Thankfully, our front door and walls keep it private. Facebook's privacy settings are those walls and door. As with our homes, we shouldn't be forced to let anyone in to see it.

No, they do not have the right to your facebook account. I love FB, i communicate with many friends and relatives from far away. FB is great. It is none of their business to see my FB account, they can get their needed info from my application and background check. seriously........this is so stupid. would the boss give me his fb password? not that i would want it.

To ANYONE that thinks this is OK, you should probably shoot yourself in the face right now.... LOL.

This is called INVASION OF PRIVACY and is considered a FELONY and is AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION.

Facebook is mean't to be PERSONAL. That individual is allowed to post WHAT THEY PLEASE at any given time, without scrutiny. If you think for one second, just because an employee works for you, it entitles you access to their private areas, you are on some serious drugs. (feel free to SHARE SOME)

its like this - if an employer asked to read my mail or read the text messages or my private e-mail on my phone or asked me for my banking account numbers and passwords and told me I had better do it or I would be fired... you bet your ass I would be walking out the door. NOT TO MENTION ITS AGAINST FACEBOOK's TOS TO SHARE YOUR LOGIN INFORMATION WITH ANYONE!!!!

LSNATIVE - The issue here is that this is an INVASION OF PRIVACY. The principal of the entire ordeal is not that of whether or not your facebook has questionable material on it, its whether or not that person wants to have their constitutional rights violated. Do us all a favor and shoot yourself in the foot, I am sure the rest of us, the rest of your family and the entire world would be better suited without you, ya moron.

No problem. I know which Facebook account to give them. It shows them what a wonderful citizen I am, with very bland political views. Didn't know I had a cousin named Millie? I didn't, until I became a church deacon. And a soup kitchen volunteer.

Get with the program, folks. The Internet is still coming, and Baby needs new shoes.