Two U.S. senators want Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate if employers asking for Facebook passwords during job interviews is a violation of federal law, FOX News</a is reporting. New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal are calling on the Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate.
The proposed investigation comes after some private and public agencies around the U.S. are asking job applicants for their social media log-in information. Privacy advocates are alarmed by the practice, but the legality of it remains questionable.
Facebook is asking employers not to request passwords so they can view applicants' information online. The website has threatened legal action against applications that do ask for passwords, which violates its long-standing policy against sharing passwords. The company released a statement, saying "We don't think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their passwords because we don't think it's the right thing to do." The statement added that while the company doesn't immediately plan on taking legal action against specific employers, "we look forward to engaging with policy makers and other stakeholders, to help better safeguard the privacy of our users."
The Senators want to know if the practice violates the stored Communications Act or the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The acts prohibit intentional access to electronic information without authorization and intentional access to a computer without authorization to obtain information.
Written by: Karen Benardello
