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Employers want access to your social media sites

It is not illegal for employers to access any information that is public on Facebook or through Google searches.

As many college graduates are looking to enter the real world, more employers are looking to Facebook and social media sites as forms of applications.

Currently in both Illinois and Iowa, it is not illegal for an employer to ask a prospective employee for their social media site password or to check their page during an interview.  Like many other states, Illinois legislation has actually moved forward to have this practice banned.  Iowa has not yet, but many states are expected to follow suit.

"For my generation, it would be like an employer asking for my senior yearbook to read my comments.  It is not any business of the employer," Attorney at law, Curt Ford weighs in.

Ford of Nash, Nash, Bean and Ford, LLP. tells us that employers, though it is not yet illegal in our area, put themselves at risk of lawsuits when asking for passwords or access to the social media sites.

"It is illegal for them to ask about family or a person age, but this is a backdoor way to find out."

Maryland and California have now officially banned employers' ability to ask.  Facebook has stated that "they don't think employers should ask for prospective employees' passwords."

It is not illegal though for employers to access any information that is public on Facebook or through Google searches.

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