So Congress saw it fit to vote down a privacy bill that would have prevented employers from asking for passwords to such sites as Facebook and Twitter from their employees and potential hires as part of their interview process.
Is anyone really surprised?
It seems to me that all one has to do is just say "I'm not on Facebook," and adjust their privacy settings so that they cannot be found on the site (as I have).
At any rate, I came across a spot-on rebuttal to all of this on the blog Raganwald's Posterous blog, under the post headline of "I hereby resign:"
". . . while several walked out in a huff when I asked them to let me look at their Facebook, one young lady smiled and said I could help myself. She logged into her Facebook as I requested, and as I followed the COO’s instructions to scan her timeline and friends list looking for evidence of moral turpitude, I became aware she was writing something on her iPad.
“Taking notes? I asked politely.
“No,” she smiled, “Emailing a human rights lawyer I know.” To say that the tension in the room could be cut with a knife would be understatement of the highest order. “Oh?” I asked. I waited, and as I am an expert in out-waiting people, she eventually cracked and explained herself.
“If you are surfing my Facebook, you could reasonably be expected to discover that I am a Lesbian. Since discrimination against me on this basis is illegal in Ontario, I am just preparing myself for the possibility that you might refuse to hire me and instead hire someone who is a heterosexual but less qualified in any way. Likewise, if you do hire me, I might need to have your employment contracts disclosed to ensure you aren’t paying me less than any male and/or heterosexual colleagues with equivalent responsibilities and experience.”
SLAMMER!
I love her response so much.
California State Senator Leland Yee is currently shepherding a similar law through the legislature that is expected to pass.
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