This generation is based upon technology and social media. Everything we do, everything we eat, everything we say, we post online and share it with our friends and family. Given that, business owners have now begun to take advantage us sharing everything that goes on in our lives, and are now asking job applicants to give up their Facebook password. This is not only a big invasion of privacy, but also not that effective. An article written by Alfred Edmond sparked controversy on the subject.
Why Asking For A Job Applicant’s Facebook Password Is Fair Game written by Alfred Edmond discusses why employers should and should not be allowed to ask job applicants for their Facebook password. Edmond states that employers should be allowed to ask prospective
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To do that, the employer would search around your account to find anything that would raise questions. The problem with that, is that not all people post their incriminating things online. Robbers won’t post pictures of all the valuables they steal online, a gang member might not post pictures or updates of his life with his gang, a teacher might not talk about his relationship with a student online even if they are involved. However, getting access to one’s Facebook account will give information about the candidate’s age, race, sexual orientation, origin, etc, all of which are illegal to fire, or not hire someone for, and if the hiring manager doesn’t hire someone after looking through their Facebook account, it could make the business susceptible to a discrimination …show more content…
For most people, social media is where they feel safe, and knowing that a potential employer is inspecting their account and scrutinizing every detail is alarming. Even though I have nothing to hide, I would not feel comfortable letting my mother or even my best friend have access to my account, the idea of it is unpleasant and disturbing. Your employer being able to see everything you have done, every message you had sent, every post you have liked, it is nerve-racking.
A little while back, Congress tried to pass a legislature “that would have banned the practice of employers asking employees to reveal their Facebook passwords”. (Edmond 132) This would prohibit employers from being able to ask for passwords which would put an end to the whole debate. According to Facebook, you are not allowed to give out your Facebook password. “Facebook’s terms of rights and responsibilities forbids users from sharing their passwords.” (Edmond 133). This should make you feel at ease but nonetheless, many employers still ask for
Ever since Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in 2004, millions of people have flocked to the website, resulting in “1.49 billion active users” (Facebook). Facebook allows users to not only reconnect with old friends, but also share whatever the user deems necessary. Facebook has many privacy settings that enable users to prevent anyone from seeing what they post. Even so, skeptics out in the world strongly attest that Facebook, and similar social media websites, aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. In the essay Why Asking for a Job Applicant’s Facebook Password Is Fair Game, Alfred Edmond Jr. addresses the false security Facebook provides to its users, and uses that notion to support his claim that bosses should
Using the informal tone he enhances his argument by providing several thought-provoking statements that allow the reader to see the logic in the article, “Social media is designed for the information shared on it to be searched, and shared- and mined for profit… When considering what to share via social media, don 't think business vs. personal. Think public vs. private. And if something is truly private, do not share it on social media out of a misplaced faith in the expectation of privacy” (134). The reader should agree with Edmond that when posting or being a part of the social media bandwagon, you’re life and decisions will be up for display. Moreover, the business vs. personal and public vs. private point is accurate and logical, because evidently if you post something on any social media outlet you should expect that anyone and everyone can see it, regardless of your privacy settings. Edmond highlights that Facebook along with other social networking sites change their privacy settings whenever they please without
“The standards of what we want to keep private and what we make public are constantly evolving. Over the course of Western history, we’ve developed a desire for more privacy, quite possibly as a status symbol…”(Singer) Technological change leads to new abuses, creating new challenges to security, but society adapts to those challenges. To meet the innate need for privacy, we learn what to reveal and where, and how to keep secret what we don't want to disclose. “Whether Facebook and similar sites are reflecting a change in social norms about privacy or are actually driving that change, that half a billion people are now on Facebook suggests that people believe the benefits of connecting with others, sharing information, networking, self-promoting, flirting, and bragging outweigh breaches of privacy that accompany such behaviours,”(Singer) This is obvious by the continuous and unceasing use of social media platforms, but what needs to be considered is that this information is being provided willingly. “More difficult questions arise when the loss of privacy is not in any sense a choice.”(Singer) When the choice to be anonymous it taken away through social media, the person loses the ability to keep their personal information
Most individuals use these social networks and applications as an outlet to connect with old friends and family, share media, and keep up with everyday topics. Sometimes, employees exchange social media accounts if they become friends at work, which is acceptable. But, if an employer decides to review an employee or potential employee’s personal account without their permission, that is an invasion of privacy. Also, a person’s social media account should not have to be monitored or reviewed by an employer, especially if it does not relate to the job itself. Everyone deserves privacy, and if an employee’s social media account(s) have to be monitored, the same should apply to the employers as
Martucci, W. C., & Shankland, R. J. (2012). New laws prohibiting employers from requiring employees to provide access to social-networking sites. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 39(2), 79-85. doi:10.1002/ert.21368
With social media websites being the main hub of personal information, advertisers are consistently monitoring our social media activity, having the ability to look into our personal information. In the article "Advertising and Consumer Privacy: Old Practices and New Challenges." by Justine Rapp states, “Fueled by advances in capabilities and interconnectedness of computer based technology, advertisers are able to collect and assimilate information on consumers like no other time history” (51). Facebook has become the number one, social media website around the globe. It is the most popular website used by personal and business users in today’s society. In the article “Using Social Media to Reach Consumers: A Content Analysis of Official Facebook Pages” by Amy Parsons states, “As of July 2011, the social network site Facebook claims to have over 750 million members and in the terms of activity.” (27), making it easy to meet and connect with others. Facebook is considered the “hot spot” for online social activity, however, it exposes personal information about its consumers to
As older siblings, friends, and cousins were denied position at school and in the work force, we realized that adults and employers had found Facebook. Our uncensored character was on display for future bosses, colleges, etc. and they were there to stay. Instead of references being the test of character for a job, it was the online identity that determined whether or not the application got even a second glance. In light of this revelation, we changed. Our Facebooks no longer reflected our true selves, but rather the person that we thought colleges and employers should see. Much like hiding our dirty laundry from prying eyes in the halls of high school, we could no longer wear our proverbial hearts on our internet sleeves, for the future was at stake. Much like what had once been the Old West, the internet was now connected with railroads—each leading back to the offline person. Tame and orderly.
Social networks are increasing dramatically every year. Employers are turning to social networks because it is a tool to screen job applicant’s profiles. According to a survey conducted by jobvite.com (2013), 94 % of employers use social media profiles to recruit job applicants. This trend assists the applicants and recruiters. Job applicants should be judged by their social network profiles because social media give positive image about the candidate, prove the information in the resume, and help to identify if the person fits the culture of the company or not.
Facebook privacy and security have many benefits, problems, and challenges. There is a benefit for every security setting on Facebook but the real concern comes along when it comes to facing the problem and how this problem goes into different steps of challenges, and how we can fix that problem in order for privacy not to be a huge issue. A person that has access to Facebook wants to share their everyday moments to the world such as sharing personal posts, photos and videos, and that’s what Facebook is basically known for.
With more than 500 million active users, the site is a warehouse of personal information. Personal profiles allow users to provide information about their name, age, hometown, relationship status, activities, job, school, and more. They can connect with the others’ profiles and become ”friends”. Combined with a profile picture, you can pretty much learn anything you want to know about somebody over Facebook (should they choose to provide the information). However, what many users fail to realize is that in most cases this information is not only available to their “friends”. Though users can change their privacy settings to limit with whom their profile information is shared, the site gathers and stores more than most of us want to acknowledge. For instance, the Facebook “Like” butto...
This is yet another way of invading privacy. In the past, employers would only know what you told them in your interview. They would assess your skills and determine if you were right for the job, aside from knowing your beliefs or views. However, now with Facebook an employer can see all the personal information, this can negatively influence a candidate’s job. The same goes for those who are currently employed and potential students. “Dr. Nora Barnes, Director for the Center of Marketing Research at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, published a study that showed more than 20% of colleges and universities search social networks for their admissions candidates” (Fodeman). This is becoming a part of the admissions process, but it is unfair. Searching someone’s Facebook to determine his or her admissions eligibility is wrong and a privacy invasion. As long as a student has fulfilled the school’s requirements and done well in school, why should it matter what their personal lives are like? In the time before Facebook, this would be like a school sending someone to secretly follow a potential student and see what he or she does in their
Perhaps the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, said it best when he claimed that privacy is no longer a “social norm.” Virtually everyone has a smart phone and everyone has social media. We continue to disclose private information willingly and the private information we’re not disclosing willingly is being extracted from our accounts anyway. Technology certainly makes these things possible. However, there is an urgent need to make laws and regulations to protect against the stuff we’re not personally disclosing. It’s unsettling to think we are living in 1984 in the 21st century.
5. Protect your Facebook account: Keep your Facebook account private. Don’t allow your coworkers to have access to your account. Instead, use LinkedIn to build your professional relationships.
An example of the pros and cons of privacy in the work place while during the hiring process is in 2012, a company in Maryland decided to ask job seekers to log into personal profiles and search through wall posts. As this is becoming more of trend many creative ways to monitor the posts. Another example within this sector is the athletic program at the University of North Carolina, “Each team must identify at least one coach or administrator who is responsible for having access to and regularly monitoring the content of team member social networking sites and postings”
The issues caused by online privacy are growing with the increase of Social Networking Sites. Virtually all Social Networking Sites have ‘public’ as their default privacy setting, however that is not what the majority of users prefer. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project & American Life, 80 % of the users go to the effort to change their settings to private. With the increasing awareness of cyber – crime and the need for privacy, users have now started to rethink their actions online. Carefully selecting whom among your Facebook friends see your personal information, and who should be restricted, blocked or unfriended.