US Employers Banned from Asking for Social Media Logins [MUSIC PLAYING] ROBERT COLLINS: I was asked to provide my private, confidential log in information to my Facebook account, which I thought was a gross violation of my privacy and that of my family and my friends. [Text on screen: “Basic information. Occupation: Former Corrections Officer. Description: Asked to provide Facebook login details when reapplying to job”] COLLINS: In December of 2009 I took a leave of absence following my mother's death from the Department of Corrections here in Maryland at my job as a correctional officer. When I came back, and I was undergoing a recertification interview of December 2010, the Department of Corrections rationale for requesting the information was that they were wanting to screen for any possible gang affiliation to see if I was involved in any illegal activity. Here I was on a beach in Boston. The investigator began to ask me for my email address. Then he proceeded to say he needed the password. And I said, you can't be serious. He said I'm serious as a heart attack. I gave him the information, but I did so hesitantly. I did so because I felt as though my livelihood would be jeopardized if I did not. [Text on screen: Maryland has now banned employers from asking for social media login details. The state of Illinois has since adopted similar legislation”] LA SHAWN FORD: What caused the social media network legislation was a constituent call. [Text on screen: “Basic information. Occupation: Illinois State Representative (D). Description: Drafted social media network legislation in Illinois.”] LA SHAWN FORD: And they told us that the employer told him that if they wanted the job that they would have to give up their social media password so that they can do research on them that way. Once you get their password from a social media network, you now could find out their race. You can find out their gender. You can find out their religion. You can find all sorts of things that are protected under the right to privacy. [Text on screen: Companies question is there is really a problem.”] JEFF NOWAK: Well, I see the law as completely unnecessary. The far, far majority of employers simply aren't engaging in this practice. [Text on screen: “Basic information. Occupation: Labour employment attorney, Franczek Radelet. Description: Opposes Illinois social media employment law.”] JEFF NOWAK: Secondly, the law in Illinois is seriously flawed, because it has absolutely no exceptions for employers to conduct reasonable workplace investigations into inappropriate and at times illegal conduct. INTERVIEWER: What should these people do then if legislation should not be involved? Does that make any sense? JEFF NOWAK: No, it does make sense. INTERVIEWER: If legislation should not be in place for this, then what should happen? JEFF NOWAK: If I myself am asked for my passwords to my various social media accounts, I probably would object to that. And I likely would not offer it up. I represent employers. So I'm on the other side of the fence, so that's a tough question for me to answer. ROBERT COLLINS: If a human resources personnel director were to say that this policy was needed, I would then say to them, I would let them do it to me as long as they were willing to allow me to tap their telephone, to put cameras in every room of their home, to read their mail, to accompany them everywhere they go. And as long as they're willing to undergo that, I would be willing to let them do it to me.