Demanding Social Media Passwords

Introduction

            “According to recent reports, certain employers are demanding the information (personal social media login credentials such as Facebook) from job applicants as part of the interview process” (Bluementhal & Schumer, 2012).  You first thought may be is this real?  The answer is yes you’d better believe it!  This is a real issue and is really happening.  Is it right?  Are there any conditions/situations in which it is okay to provide such login credentials?  Under no circumstances whatsoever is it okay for anyone to demand your social media password, because in doing so, you lose all personal privacy, your online presence is compromised, and most importantly, everything you’ve ever done in relation to social media could be used against you.

Why are they doing this?

Unfortunately, despite the demanding of Facebook login credentials being completely wrong, it’s still being done.  It’s important to point out that it’s against Facebook’s official Terms of Service policy in which you’ve agreed to adhere to when creating your Facebook account in the first place. Under the “Registration and Account Security” section number eight states the following: “You will not share your password/ or in the case of developers, your secret key), let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.” (Facebook, 2015)  Besides the fact that Facebook itself says it’s wrong, the question still remains, why then do these companies and schools feel they have the right to do such a thing?

            One reason behind the absurd request came from a law enforcement spokesman by the name of Carrine Gellar who stated it being just one step in a very complex process, and that it’s necessary when entrusting an individual with the law (Dame, 2014).  Sure, that sounds great, but exactly how necessary is it?  The amount of information that is publicly available on social media websites is more than enough to determine whether or not a candidate is trustworthy enough to entrust enforcing the law.  Without requiring full access to someone’s social media account you can not only view a decent amount of data, but you can view their friend’s information as well.  Yes, some may be utilizing their privacy controls the right way which would limit your information, but there’s a good chance a few friends may not be.  Twenty-five percent of Facebook users don’t bother with privacy settings (Cooper, 2013).  That being said, I’m sure it’s reasonable to conclude you can decide whether or not a person is trustworthy just fine without their password.

The argument made by universities that try to require your personal information is that it’s for student-athletes.  This reason is almost good enough to accept, however it still falls short in my eyes.  I don’t feel student-athletes should be singled out first off.   It is true that these universities have a lot invested in these kids, not only for the need of a winning team, but also their reputation is on the line.  Interestingly enough, in college football alone, “the median net revenue for college football in 2010 was $3.15 million per school.” (Chua, 2011)  How much of that goes to the student athlete responsible for making all that money?  None, in fact serious consequences are enforced if money is even talked about.  To me, that looks clear as day to be why schools want to intrude on your personal life.

Why this is not okay

            There are many reasons the demanding of passwords to social media accounts is wrong, but the most obvious would be your loss of complete personal privacy.  The amount of personal conversations, memories, and ideas would no longer be personal.  One may argue that if such data is to be confidential, why would it appear in such a place to begin with?  The reality of the situation is that we, as a society, are moving towards a world which is transforming into a digital one.  It’s not unreasonable to believe one day the use of physical currency will be obsolete.  We’ve watched music and video become that way.  Which brings me to the point of saying such sensitive information is put online because of the ability to keep it private, and by giving a company access to such data, why not include permission to come and go to your house and cars as well?

            Another reason this is not okay is it jeopardizes your online existence.  By giving anyone at all access to your social media accounts, you are no longer one hundred percent certain your reputation online is controlled by you.  What’s to say there’s not a disgruntled IT employee at one of these companies that takes all these passwords and quits the company?  Let’s step away from the things you’re at risk of and think about your friend’s personal security.  Personal privacy settings are such that certain friends are allowed certain information.  By giving your password to an employer you’re not only giving your information out but also your friend’s as well, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t appreciate you doing that.

The most important reason to me why this isn’t okay is the amount of data being given could, potentially come back at a later date and really hurt you.  The number of possibilities is endless.  Let’s just say you do give your password.  You’d probably only consider doing so if you’d plan on making that job a career.  You the invest ten to twenty years with the company, and then are treated unfairly, subsequently leaving the company.  Suppose the company is legitimately in the wrong and owes you in damages.  The company has ten to twenty years of recorded data on you (more times than not people click the login with  Facebook button when browsing third-party sites which gives them even more data) and uses such data to make up some crazy case to cheat you of not only your ten to twenty years employed, but your future as well.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, although it’s really happening (the demanding of social media account login credentials), that doesn’t make it right.  You, as an individual, need to exercise your right to say no to this because the more pushy corporations/universities get, the more they will begin to take away.  It is important to remember, that under no circumstances whatsoever is it okay to require your login credentials because in doing so you’d lose all personal privacy, you’d be putting your online existence in jeopardy, and everything you’ve ever done in relation to these sites can be used against you.

References

BLUMENTHAL, SCHUMER: EMPLOYER DEMANDS FOR FACEBOOK AND EMAIL PASSWORDS AS PRECONDITION FOR JOB INTERVIEWS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW; SENATORS ASK FEDS TO INVESTIGATE. (2012). (). Lanham: Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/940878602?accountid=41759

Chua, R. (2011, November 8). How Much Revenue Do College Sports Produce? Retrieved July 27, 2015, from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1111/how-much-revenue-do-college-sports-produce.aspx

Cooper, B. (2013, November 18). 10 Surprising Social Media Statistics That Will Make You Rethink Your Social Strategy. Retrieved July 27, 2015, from http://www.fastcompany.com/3021749/work-smart/10-surprising-social-media-statistics-that-will-make-you-rethink-your-social-stra

Dame, J. (2014, January 10). Will employers still ask for Facebook passwords in 2014? Retrieved July 27, 2015, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/10/facebook-passwords-employers/4327739/

Facebook Terms of Service. (2015). Retrieved July 27, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms