Facebook Password Is Fair Game Summary

“Why Asking For a Job Applicant's Facebook Password is Fair Game” by Alfred Edmond Jr., published in the Black Enterprise Magazine on April 2, 2012, is an essay regarding how employers have the right to ask one’s Facebook password in order to check one’s social media activity. The author discusses how although he would say no if an employer asked for his Facebook password, he as an employer would ask the applicant’s password for background check. Alfred Edmond Jr. says that he would try to negotiate any other way to satisfy an employer’s request for Facebook password by doing something else, although he does agree that looking into employee and applicant’s Facebook may be beneficial to help a business. The author discusses that it is reasonable

to ask a Facebook password as it is an essential aspect of the hiring process. Alfred Edmond Jr. concludes his article by giving advice that one must be careful of what they post on Facebook, and to make the right decision on whether the post is private or public and then only post.

Alfred Edmond Jr. claims that companies have a fair say in asking for an applicant’s password, so they may be able to check one’s background and it is up to the applicant to give the password or not, but the applicant should always keep in mind what posts should be public or private, which may ensure a reader’s feeling of security.

Alfred Edmond Jr. supports his claims by giving his personal viewpoint of the topic and by giving examples that support his personal viewpoint and explanation. The author begins to support the claim by explaining how an applicant may be able to face the problem by offering alternatives to the employer. Also, the author discusses how an employer may need the Facebook password to better ensure the background of an employee and to see if the applicant is the best to hire out of all the individuals that have applied. The author begins to bring information and data from examples of jobs in the childcare industry requires one’s background to be checked very thoroughly and in doing this background search, it may be beneficial for the employer to check the applicant’s Facebook to see if the applicant has done some very inappropriate things or is affiliated with doing inappropriate things. Alfred Edmond Jr. states that asking for a person’s

Facebook password is similar to a credit check as they are all a part of background check. The author talks about how liability for a company or workplace is more important than a employees privacy. The author adds in to that statement by giving example of the book, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You by Eli Pariser. The reason the author gives that book as an example is to explain to the reader how he believes that there is no such thing as privacy. The author talks about Facebook is like Times Square and saying something private is like screaming in the middle of hundreds of people. When the article begins to near to the end the author begins to talk about how one should decide wisely when sharing something on social media, whether it is a matter of public or private. The article has an image of a job interview of an employer asking access to an employee’s Facebook page. The applicant says fine as long as she has access to the employer’s page and the employer gets a flashback of him doing something inappropriate. If something is private it may be smart to not publish online, because nothing is private. The author concludes the article by explaining how the laws may change because of the ongoing debate and asking questions regarding the topic of how far can the potential employer can go while investigating one’s background in social media.
The author expects the audience to know what Facebook and other types of social medias are. The audience would have to understand how on social media people share private messages and that is one of the primary reasons that the debate for asking an applicant’s Facebook is going on. The audience may need to know that Facebook is internationally popular and that if one shares anything it can be seen by millions around the globe. The audience would have to know what is going on in Congress and how they did not pass the legislation. The people reading this essay would have to understand the kind of confidentiality and privacy others believe they have on social media and how in reality there is not that much privacy as everyone can see everything. The audience may need to know how background checks are very important in obtaining a job, so password to social media allow employers to check the background of applicants. The audience may need to understand that what they do on the internet may not be private and most of time is viewable to the public. The audience would also need to understand that there is a difference between Business and Personal as well as Public and Personal. The audience may need to feel supportive of the idea of employers asking one for his or her Facebook password as fair game.
The article was very effective in talking about how the employers’ have the right to ask one’s Facebook password as it addresses the main concerns one may have regarding the topic, but it also gives different viewpoints of people in the workforce. The author provides many examples and gives factual details regarding how background check is necessary and one of the best ways to do it is by checking an applicant’s Facebook to see if he or she is the right one to hire. The author gives a variety amount of facts regarding how privacy may just be an illusion that many individuals just fall for. The author does that by comparing Facebook to Times Square and a ticking bomb. The author concludes the article by giving a powerful statement that one should think public vs. private before sharing anything on multimedia. The weakness for the article mainly was the fact that the author did not have any sources or much credibility rather than himself. Also, the author could have provided more facts on the topic of how Facebook passwords could be very effective by giving an example.