Montana City Asks Job Applicants For Facebook Passwords

HELENA, Mont. — A flood of criticism has prompted a Montana city to drop its request that government job applicants turn over their user names and passwords to Internet social networking and Web groups.

The city of Bozeman abruptly suspended the practice Friday, saying it "appears to have exceeded that which is acceptable to our community."

"We appreciate the concern many citizens have expressed regarding this practice and apologize for the negative impact this issue is having on the City of Bozeman," City Manager Chris A. Kukulski said in a release.

Since KBZK-TV of Bozeman reported on the policy Wednesday, Web forums have been abuzz over the issue. The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana immediately questioned the legality of the policy.

"I liken it to them saying they want to look at your love letters and your family photos," said Amy Cannata of the Montana ACLU. "I think this policy certainly crosses the privacy line."

The city initially argued that it only used the information to verify application information. People who refused to provide the information wouldn't be penalized, the city said.

An excerpt from the city application form said, "Please list any and all current personal or business Web sites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc."

Rep. Brady Wiseman, a Bozeman Democrat, led the state's fight against the Patriot Act when the Legislature issued a harsh critique of the federal act, arguing it trampled civil liberties and put the government into a position of snooping on citizens.

Wiseman said Bozeman had gone too far.

"Asking for passwords is over the line," Wiseman said. "I think that this notion opens up a whole new line of debate on privacy."

The ACLU has not found another government body that asks for such information, Cannata said.

"It's one thing, and I think totally reasonable, if someone has a public profile to go check it out," she said.

But private groups and profile could reveal information employers could not legally base hiring decisions on, such as a person's religion, she added.

Comments

[IDIOTA]

Safeway used to ask for Name, Address, Birth Date and SSN for their Club Card, and people gve the information. I think Erika Badu wrote a song about it..."I just wanted some fvcking batteries..."

[instarx]

I recently walked into a barber shop where they wanted my name and address for their computer before I could get a freaking haircut! I walked out. I also walked away from a tire store who wanted my name and address before they would balance my tires. People need to stop putting up with this nonesense. Don't wait for the ACLU to do something - walk out and tell them why you are doing it.

[PunKinPai]

Radio Shack also asks for name, address and phone number before even selling you a battery. Unless they've changed their policy since I refused and walked out of the store, that is.

[tubette]

what a bunch of idiots....

[KataVideo]

I wonder if anyone as stupid enough to do it?

[MsLiz]

Of course. Haven't you ever been desperate for a job?

[Libfemdem]

When an employer starts paying for me 24 hours a day, maybe then they can tell me what to do in my own time off the clock.
They own me for 8 hours a day. After that I am a free person to do what I want, as long as no one gets hurt and I'm ready for work the next day.
Stay OUT of my private life!

[JoelNH]

Nice to meet you Captain Obvious.

[instarx]

Well, there are exceptions. The recent hacker who was fired from his investment bank job because at night he was writing code to steal credit card information from TJMaxx. That was a reasonable thing for the bank to do. Also, doing drugs at night when you have a job where a mistake can cost people's lives (example, airline pilots or chemical plant operators) is a reasonable restriction on private activity.

[ufopp]

Just because a few employees are bad does not mean everyone should be put under suspicion. It's the broad net to just catch one or two that drives people to question the merits of such intrusions. There are smarter ways of figuring out such things if employers used the right tools and staff. You can't do everything through mostly incompetent human resources staff.

[NewArtz]

Of course, were it me, I'd gladly give them passwords I'd make up on the spot. Were they to discover that the passwords didn't work, and were I to be challenged, I would query their legal right to invade my private account. It is ludicrous for them to assume they have any right to know this information, and it's criminal for them to utilize the information stolen from the applications to advance further into the invasion. It's like asking for the key to your house and then using it to come in and snoop around in your underwear drawers.

The people who conceived of this indecent intrusion into another's privacy are as sick as peeping Toms and much more dangerous.

[bdaved]

You go places and buy something and they ask for your zip code. Sometimes I tell 'em "You don't have to mail it, I'll just take it with me." Sometimes I give 'em a 4 digit number, and when they look at me I tell 'em I'm from a really small town, or it's a very early zip code. Sometimes I just tell 'em what they want to know. I was in Home Depot once and the checker asked if she could have my zip code. Home Depot brings out the worst in me, and I said no, and she said she couldn't complete the transaction if I didn't give it to her. And me standing there cash in fist. Left my stuff there and went to Lowes.
And today I got a call from my Medicare Advantage people, about some voluntary survey they wanted me to complete. They informed me that my answers wouldn't affect my coverage or premiums, and proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions that seemed to me to have no other purpose than for them to see if they could do something bad with my coverage or premiums. I expressed some skepticism and was informed that this was for my doctor's benefit. I told them my doctor knew all about my health already, then they said the survey was required by law. I said I didn't have much confidence in this survey business, devolunteered myself and we wished each other a pleasant day.

[instarx]

I may give my zip code - what's the problem with that, but I NEVER give them any other information. The cashiers often act surprised that you won't give them personal information. Radio Shack used to be bad about doing this. I have refused to give personal information or show ID to buy something for years, but I have noticed that cashiers now often take it in stride. More people must be objecting ,so I'm no longer the uncooperative standout I used to be.

[sushi27]

It is obvious they want information about these people that LEGALLY they are not allowed to ask when applying for a job. For instance, every job I have ever applied for has asked my age, even though they are not LEGALLY allowed to use age in hiring people. The last job, even after I was hired, they continued to pepper me with questions about my birthday, etc in an attempt to get me to tell my age. Big brother is coming!

[frantaylor]

They did not ask you your age. They asked your birthdate, which is necessary for many things. Of course the difference is merely in semantics, but please don't think that someone owns your soul if they know how old you are.

[jukesgrrl]

If employers are paying you in a legal manner, they need your Social Security number for tax purposes and your birthdate to make sure your employment is credited to your Social Security account (so you get money in your old age). The birthdate is also used to double-check the SS # being used is the correct one. You have every right to complain if your HR dept. doesn't keep this information private, but they do need the information FOR YOUR BENEFIT. I agree that retail organizations who ask personal information are out of line, but to criticize employers who ask for it is just paranoid.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Are daily entries into your Facebook page a requirement, yet?

[MathIsTruth]

They say that people who do NOT provide the information will not be penalized.

What they conveniently DON'T say is that the people who DO provide the information get rewarded.

[frantaylor]

With identity theft

[ramblingjohnny]

And credit card fraud!

[Changeling]

I'd just change them before filling out the application:

"I'm sorry, it didn't request my CURRENT passwords. Mm, no. I won't be providing you with those."

[gabberwok]

If you put something on Facebook, MySpace, etc., no matter how limited your settings or small your social network, it can no longer be considered private. People need to realize that anything that goes on the web is there pretty much forever and there's little you can do about it.

The point is people shouldn't be complaining about this city asking for access to people's social networks. People should not be posting things on the internet they would not be willing to let employers see. (With the exception of really anonymous things like Tor, wikileaks, etc. etc.)

Facebook doesn't protect any of its images - all you need to do is know the link to an image file and you can see it without logging in... Use your heads people.

[MathIsTruth]

As it turns out, there exists more than one problem in the world.

So the fact that people put a lot of stuff online that they probably shouldn't does not mean that local governments suddenly have the right to invade people's privacy.

I don't know why you speak of these two issues as an either/or kind of thing.

[savannahdem]

It's one thing for employers to discover or view an employee's Facebook or Myspace page. It's another for an employee to have to volunteer it, or worse, give up their userid AND password. There is no probable cause here for the city of Bozeman to ask for userids/passwords, and no one should supply them. If Bozeman wants THAT information, they need to get a subpoena.

[booker52]

Providing I am not breakings any laws (and I am not) what I do online is my business. So I wouldn't be providing that information either.

[dagnome27]

Sorry Montana - you are WAY over the line - unless this has suddenly become Communist China - or Bush 43 has been restored to office.

[Fromageball]

Heh, they're doing this because people can make their FB pages private. While I'm writing that down do you want my gmail password too?

[beihai]

While you are at it give you pin number for your credit card too. (they need to check your balances to see you are creditworthy cough cough)

[AngelaQuattrano]

They need to see your purchase history to make sure they approve of everything you have ever bought.

[JustThisGuy]

At another site, it was pointed out that there is information an employer is legally not supposed to ask for. Information that many people put in their personal profles...

[davidwayneosedach]

They are setting a dangerous precedent. Social net works (for job applicants)are out of bounds.

[Osusuki]

I wish! The sad fact is, employers will do anything they can to get information on a prospective employee, because none of them have the talent or the stones to hire someone based only on an interview. The sadder fact is that the job market is so bad right now that people's scruples about what they will and won't do to find work are falling by the wayside faster as each new mortgage payment comes due. Right now, employers have the upper hand. A few of them need a royal spanking over their high handed behavior, too, but who's going to do the spanking? The government is too busy saving big business right now to save jobs, seems like. Anyhow, social networking sites and other online communities should be off limits to potential employers--that might actually force them to exercise a little judgement in hiring--but don't hold your breath waiting for labor to ever get any rights in this country. Not even Mr. Obama can pull off that miracle.