California to ban employers asking for your Facebook password
The bill (AB1844), which was introduced in late February, passed the House unanimously (73 votes to 0). Now it moves onto the Senate.
AB1844 would ban employers from requiring current or prospective employees to disclose usernames or passwords for social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The bill's author, Democratic Assemblymember Nora Campos of San Jose, says there are too few social media privacy laws to protect employees.
"I am proud to have received this overwhelming show of support for the protection of our privacy rights," Campos said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the Senate and the Governor to ensure that this bill is enacted into law."
In addition to Maryland and California, similar measures are pending in many other states, including Illinois and Michigan. Furthermore, lawmakers in the House and Senate are also working on legislation that would ban the practice nationally.
Last month, the House voted down an amendment that would have banned employers demanding access to Facebook. This month, however, the politicians fighting for our rights returned with their own bill, which would impact the whole country, not just individual states: the Password Protection Act.
See also:
- Petition: Investigate employers asking for Facebook passwords
- Teacher's aide fired for refusing to hand over Facebook password
- House votes down stopping employers asking for Facebook passwords
- US senators: Investigate employers asking for Facebook passwords
- Facebook: No plans to sue employers asking for your password
- Senator vows to stop employers asking for your Facebook password
- Facebook: Legal action against employers asking for your password
- ACLU: Employers demanding Facebook passwords is privacy invasion
- School district demands Facebook password, 12-year-old girl sues
- Employer demands Facebook login credentials during interview