Facebook may be inadvertently making it difficult for job seekers to get employed based on its privacy setting, and the recent rise in employers wanting access to employees' personal, private pages.
Illinois has become the latest state to impose fines on employers who outright ask an applicant or employee for their Facebook password. Unfortunately, the fine is only a measly $200.
The new law is called the "Facebook Bill" and follows in the footsteps of Maryland, while California, Connecticut, New York, Washington, Delaware and New Jersey are all considering some type of equivalent bill.
Somewhat pointless, the law only prevents employers of Illinois from asking for access to your Facebook account. Just about every user of Facebook has more than likely mastered the navigation techniques of the social network and now knows just how to find what they are looking for, even if it is another person.
Employers can still ask for your username and they still have the ability to add possible friends that you have in order to get access to your account if they feel it to be that indispensable.
Though most people find this to be an unfair practice, employers feel that it is a necessary step in trying to get to know the people they might want to hire or have hired. Some hiring managers are referring to it as a virtual character check.
According to Chunka Mui, a contributor to Forbes.com Facebook has only itself to blame for this. "The ease of access and use of sensitive personal information is due to Facebook's past insensitivity about user privacy, as evidenced by its repeated expansion of what information is public by default," Mui writes.
When it comes to social networking and your prospective career choices, the most efficient idea aimed with handling social media accounts is to just not post anything that you wouldn't like for your future employer to get a glimpse of. You never know; who is watching, posting, commenting and liking.
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