5 states will have 'social media privacy law' or 'facebook password law'

[Tpoints]

More government regulations to prohibit free choice and employers from knowing their potential applicants
http://www.upi.com/blog/2012/12/31/F...9231356986835/

[Anti Federalist]

Well, good news: Starting tomorrow, employers are forbidden from demanding private information about social media activity from employees and job applicants in five states, where laws were passed last year prohibiting the practice.

I'm very seldom a "there oughtta be law" guy, but in this case, good.

Now prohibit government from snooping around as well.

[Tpoints]

I'm very seldom a "there oughtta be law" guy, but in this case, good.

Now prohibit government from snooping around as well.

It's private, but so are employers.

[bolil]

Employer access to private infromation seems like a transgression of the 4th amendment to me. Papers, and effects.

[emazur]

I'd vote for that law in a heartbeat. The main reason people have been cornered into surrendering their private information is b/c the government makes it so difficult to become self-employed and so we have to grovel to get employment from the outside. In a truly free market, employers would have to treat their employees a lot better b/c they would always have other options - cutting grass, painting houses, teaching a foreign language, teaching a musical instrument, walking dogs, house sitting, baby sitting, transferring analog audio and video to digital, all of the above and more - you name it and people would do it to escape from the rat race. Complications like getting your taxes and accounting straight for big brother, getting your government license, and regulations (you can't even stuff an advertisement in your neighbors' mailboxes to advertise your services without breaking the law) make people want to give up before they even get started.

So the government does break your leg, but if it actually is willing to also give you this crutch that would make your personal and working conditions more in line with what would happen in a free market, I say so be it.

And besides - $#@! privacy perverting companies.

[Tpoints]

Employer access to private infromation seems like a transgression of the 4th amendment to me. Papers, and effects.

No, it isn't. For 2 reasons : 1) it's not government, 4th amendment (as well as the rest of bill of rights, Constitution) protects people and restricts government, it does not protect individuals from individuals (though there are other laws and remedies for privacy invasion) and 2) the access to information is not forced, the employers are not forcing employees to apply for their jobs, nor stay if they are employed, so the employee and potential employee is always free to turn around, and walk away if he dislikes the conditions set by his workplaces. Do not confuse this with employers spying on workers without their consent, that's privacy invasion plain and simple.

[Anti Federalist]

No, it isn't. For 2 reasons : 1) it's not government, 4th amendment (as well as the rest of bill of rights, Constitution) protects people and restricts government, it does not protect individuals from individuals (though there are other laws and remedies for privacy invasion) and 2) the access to information is not forced, the employers are not forcing employees to apply for their jobs, nor stay if they are employed, so the employee and potential employee is always free to turn around, and walk away if he dislikes the conditions set by his workplaces. Do not confuse this with employers spying on workers without their consent, that's privacy invasion plain and simple.

Until there is no place left to work or conduct business that does not "require" this.

[Tpoints]

I'd vote for that law in a heartbeat. The main reason people have been cornered into surrendering their private information is b/c the government makes it so difficult to become self-employed and so we have to grovel to get employment from the outside.

The government has made it difficult to be self employed? How is that? What self employment were you trying to do that you've been stopped from?

In a truly free market, employers would have to treat their employees a lot better b/c they would always have other options - cutting grass, painting houses, teaching a foreign language, teaching a musical instrument, walking dogs, house sitting, baby sitting, transferring analog audio and video to digital, all of the above and more - you name it and people would do it to escape from the rat race. (oh, sorry, I didn't know these jobs are gone or illegal....I swear I know a bunch of people still doing these jobs happily)

[Tpoints]

Until there is no place left to work or conduct business that does not "require" this.

so what? you think you're entitled to a job? That's like saying "until there's no food or house I can afford", therefore there oughtta be a law to force people to sell you affordable houses at the place you choose? And don't you think there's always going to be SOME people who have a little more respect for privacy? Or do you think employers are a special breed and class of people that'll never think like you?

[tttppp]

This is a pointless law. Raiding someones facebook account is just bad business. Free markets would elliminate that crap. If you want to monitor employees information, check out their linkedin account. At least some of that is job related.

[John F Kennedy III]

Until there is no place left to work or conduct business that does not "require" this.

Yeah. You ALWAYS have to think 5 moves ahead. In a free market/ free society this law would be ridiculous.

But we are nowhere near free.

[John F Kennedy III]

so what? you think you're entitled to a job? That's like saying "until there's no food or house I can afford", therefore there oughtta be a law to force people to sell you affordable houses at the place you choose? And don't you think there's always going to be SOME people who have a little more respect for privacy? Or do you think employers are a special breed and class of people that'll never think like you?

No no no. You have to look ahead to realize what is wrong with this. I agree with you, but in this $#@!ed up society this is a good law.

It has nothing to do with a "right" to work. It's about being forced by the government into not having any other options.

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

I always wondered why we have to do our own taxes or pay someone to do them, when the IRS seems to know if you did your taxes right or wrong. if they know what you owe, then why don't they just fill out the form for you?

But anyway my desire to not work doesn't come from being lazy, it comes from feeling like there's so many fees just to be a productive member of society, $#@! it. When you account for everything you pay, including taxes, licenses, registrations, and government mandated insurance (specifically auto insurance) How much of our pay does that equate to?

[Tpoints]

I always wondered why we have to do our own taxes or pay someone to do them, when the IRS seems to know if you did your taxes right or wrong. if they know what you owe, then why don't they just fill out the form for you?

But anyway my desire to not work doesn't come from being lazy, it comes from feeling like there's so many fees just to be a productive member of society, $#@! it. When you account for everything you pay, including taxes, licenses, registrations, and government mandated insurance (specifically auto insurance) How much of our pay does that equate to?

are you in the right thread?

[Anti Federalist]

so what? you think you're entitled to a job? That's like saying "until there's no food or house I can afford", therefore there oughtta be a law to force people to sell you affordable houses at the place you choose? And don't you think there's always going to be SOME people who have a little more respect for privacy? Or do you think employers are a special breed and class of people that'll never think like you?

No, I think I am entitled to keep my private affairs and personal effects private, free from the snooping eyes of anybody.

That includes government, an employer, an ex-wife, you...it doesn't matter.

Oh, that steps on Mega-Global-Hyper-Corp's "human resources" data mining operations?

Boo $#@!ing hoo.

[tttppp]

I was just thinking there is a valid reason why some companies would want to see your facebook account. It can get a since of your personality. It can tell them whether a person is more likely to spend his time working on the next project, or spend it screwing around. Additionally there are certain personality type and facebook could help companies determine what kind of personality you have. But I do think it will mostly be used for bad reasons and companies would avoid using it in the free market because it makes them look bad. As I stated before, why are companies looking at your facebook account and not your linkin account. Seems stupid to me.

[RCA]

I'm an ancap, but I hate when people use the private companies have the right to do "x" to you argument as if corporations are private businesses to begin with. Well guess what? Private companies also have the right NOT to hire you if they can't get access to your private information. In my opinion and in any reasonable person's head, privacy for an individual far outweighs a private business's right to snoop.

[BAllen]

The government has made it difficult to be self employed? How is that? What self employment were you trying to do that you've been stopped from?

In a truly free market, employers would have to treat their employees a lot better b/c they would always have other options - cutting grass, painting houses, teaching a foreign language, teaching a musical instrument, walking dogs, house sitting, baby sitting, transferring analog audio and video to digital, all of the above and more - you name it and people would do it to escape from the rat race. (oh, sorry, I didn't know these jobs are gone or illegal....I swear I know a bunch of people still doing these jobs happily)

Do you deny there are regulations and licensing fees?

[acptulsa]

The government has made it difficult to be self employed? How is that? What self employment were you trying to do that you've been stopped from?

It's now a federal crime to decorate a cake in a non-federally approved kitchen. Never mind baking a cake, I'm talking about decorating a cake. This in response to a salmonella outbreak that came from--guess where--a government-inspected commercial kitchen.

Are you seriously arguing that the government hasn't made it exponentially harder to be self-employed in the last century? Seriously? Hell, eighty years ago you could work for yourself without having a clue how to pay a 'self-employment tax'. Get real.

[thoughtomator]

The government has made it difficult to be self employed? How is that? What self employment were you trying to do that you've been stopped from?

Spoken like a man who has never even considered running his own business. If you had any idea the mountain of law and regulation and punitive taxation that a small business owner must endure to remain on the right side of the law, nothing like the above statement could ever pass your keyboard without sarcasm.

[heavenlyboy34]

There's an easy way around this, you know. Just set up a fake FB page and never use it except when employers ask for it.

[heavenlyboy34]

Spoken like a man who has never even considered running his own business. If you had any idea the mountain of law and regulation and punitive taxation that a small business owner must endure to remain on the right side of the law, nothing like the above statement could ever pass your keyboard without sarcasm.

This^^ Tpoints, I suggest you build a business plan for an imaginary (self-employed) company as an exercise. That way, you'll learn all the $#@! business owners have to go through.

[LibForestPaul]

Until there is no place left to work or conduct business that does not "require" this.

Actually, more likely the state will REQUIRE certain individuals to give their employers access to private social media sites. This law easily can be turned. Why should teachers and cops be able to hide DANGEROUS or PERVERTED activities from PUBLIC employement? Think of the children! If a law can be made by the state to stop the dissemination of information, it can easily make a another law to force that information disseminated.

[Pauls' Revere]

When my boss gives me thier password I'll give mine. Just so I know who i'm working for.

[tttppp]

I'm an ancap, but I hate when people use the private companies have the right to do "x" to you argument as if corporations are private businesses to begin with. Well guess what? Private companies also have the right NOT to hire you if they can't get access to your private information. In my opinion and in any reasonable person's head, privacy for an individual far outweighs a private business's right to snoop.

Its not always snooping. Seeing your facebook account can provide valuable information to employers. For example, if they know your likes and dislikes that could give them a better idea if you can fit into the culture. If you have opinions on everything, you might not fit into a shut your mouth corporation. There are valid reasons for using it. But I admit large corporations will abuse it and use it as a tool to prevent hiring people.

[Tpoints]

Do you deny there are regulations and licensing fees?

No, I deny they are bad enough to prevent people from doing it. With two exceptions I'm aware of: taxi driving and alcohol serving. Oh, and even then, licensed users know how to make their money back, and sharing it around, it's called employing people.

[Tpoints]

It's now a federal crime to decorate a cake in a non-federally approved kitchen. Never mind baking a cake, I'm talking about decorating a cake. This in response to a salmonella outbreak that came from--guess where--a government-inspected commercial kitchen.

Are you seriously arguing that the government hasn't made it exponentially harder to be self-employed in the last century? Seriously? Hell, eighty years ago you could work for yourself without having a clue how to pay a 'self-employment tax'. Get real.

Cite me the law, and/or tell me how hard it is to be federally approved.

[jkr]

fuk dat!then i get to see theirs...
better everyone mind their OWN business
this is a defacto end around of the rights we keep bitching about

[Tpoints]

Spoken like a man who has never even considered running his own business. If you had any idea the mountain of law and regulation and punitive taxation that a small business owner must endure to remain on the right side of the law, nothing like the above statement could ever pass your keyboard without sarcasm.

To the contrary, I have run several. To my admission, not always licensed and registered, but I managed to pay my bills. I'm not saying everybody must survive on the amount I was making, but to make the excuse that government is keeping you from working for yourself is ridiculous.

[Tpoints]

fuk dat!then i get to see theirs...
better everyone mind their OWN business
this is a defacto end around of the rights we keep bitching about

nobody is forcing you to seek employment with them.