Facebook Privacy and Your Job

As digital technology grows and evolves, our notion of issues like our own privacy change. What goes on the Internet is always out there somewhere.

Facebook, the most popular of the social networks, has more than 800 million active users worldwide and about 200 million in the United States. That means that two-thirds of the U.S. population uses Facebook.

Well The Associated Press reported this week that potential employers are asking applicants for their Facebook log in information if their profile information isn't public. It's been the custom for employers to have a look at an applicant's publicly available Facebook pages during the vetting process. But if you've taken the steps to protect your privacy, it's not right to demand access as a condition for employment.

Do you think this is to envasive? What does it matter what you post on facebook in regards to getting a job? Well perhaps the employer feels they can get to know more about the real "you" this way by examining who your friends with, what networks you belong to and what kinds of status updates and pictures you post. I mean afterall how many times have you seen people posting wild pictures, or complaining about their current job in their status updates? Maybe an employer would like check in on you to make sure you are not posting negative things about their company. But where is the line drawn here? What if you list a particular religion or group that you are apart of in your profile and your employer finds that offensive, they could potentially fire you now for this just by seeing something they don't agree with in your profile. Even worse you could the most qualified candidate but be denied a job opportunity simply because of what you have on your facebook page. Some may say, "go ahead and check my profile I have nothing to hide." That may be the case but what kind of doors are we opening here into our personal and private lives. Then again, how private is the internet anyway? These days, not very. Some might argue that employers have the right to find out as much as possible about a job candidate. They may interview neighbors, test for drug use, check for criminal backgrounds, do a credit search and require personality tests. But they don't go through your personal mail, read your personal emails, scour your home computer, peruse your health records or tour your home looking for questionable behavior.

All I can say is that if you don't want your boss - or anyone else for that matter - to know something, don't put it on the World Wide Web.