Schiff aims to stop employers from asking for Facebook passwords

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) helped introduce legislation last week to rein in the growing practice of employers who require job applicants or current employees to provide access to password-protected accounts, such as Facebook, as a condition of employment.

The measure, called the Password Protection Act of 2012, also prohibits employers from discriminating or retaliating against an employee because he or she refuses to turn over passwords to private accounts.

“Someone’s personal page should be just that — personal,” Schiff said in a statement. “These online pages are a modern version of the diary, and people should be free to share their digital diaries or keep them completely private.... Especially in this tough economic environment, we should be removing impediments for job seekers, not creating them.”

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-- Mark Kellam, Times Community News

Twitter: @LAMarkKellam