Assignment #5: Privacy

Some employers in Maryland (a state in America) have asked people for their Facebook information (ID and Password) in a job interview.

What is your opinion on this? Is this an invasion of privacy? How do you feel when you hear this? Should it be legal for employers to ask for this information in an interview? If you were asked for this information in a job interview, how would you respond?

Here is a CNN article and an interview about this issue:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/us/2012/03/09/hln-prime-employer-facebook-passwords.hln

I really think asking people for their Facebook information in a job interview cannot be justified in any ways. The major reason is that this is an absolute form of invasion of privacy. Usually, Facebook is a private place where people can communicate with others and post some things that they would like to share only with close friends or family. Definitely, those things are not for employers, and private matters should not be asked unless they are related to the job. I understand that employers want to look at interviewees’ Facebook information and other interviewee-related things as this is one of the most efficient ways to gather some information about the interviewees, but they should do this in other ways that do not invade one’s privacy.

Frankly, I cannot spot any probelm to these employers' interview policy. It is the interviewer's job to gather as many information related to the interviewees as possible, since they have to select those who outweighs the rest of the applicants.

Until now, job interview went like this; applicants tring to hide their deficit as much as possible, decorating themself with exaggerated merit versus the interviewer tring to sort out who are giving their stories without exaggeration. However, this kind of interview is not advisable. There is a need for alteration, and both the interviewer and the applicant are on their way to adopting new changes. Recent interview is a matter of applicants tring to appeal as many thing as possible, showing everything regardless of whether it is their weakness or not. Interview trend has been changing into this way, and I strongly beleive that this way is advisable.

Many employees these days are causing several probelms. Starting from being late to work to becoming a spy and leaking the confidentials of the company. Apart from these sorts of probelms, many companys are eventually finding out and suffering from Employees' lack of morality and sociality. One of the best way to judge those factors are through online-web. Despite the fact that Facebook is free to users with privacy guaranteed, still the users have to keep the manners and behave morally. I'm not denying the fact that the privacy can be a probelm. However, it is defenately not a big deal. You want a job? Just open your facebook account and behave as usual. If you were morally mature at the first place, then the company will select you.

interesting ideas guys. keep it up!

Everyone has a right to have their private information private. That is why asking for a facebook information especially ID and password in a job interview is in one word 'insane'. Even if a company wants to know the candidate's private information in order to assure that they don't have any dirty secrets, it's not ethically right to ask for a private information. It is true that Facebook has a lot of aspects that don't share a same characteristics with the word 'private'. It's actual purpose is to share information. However during the process, one who's behind the computer choose whether what kind of information can go online for everyone to see. But one thing is for sure. ID and Password not a part of it.

thanks charlie!
I missed the fact that they were asked to provide their password as well. As you said, asking for password is just totally insane, but still I think that it is totally fine to provide only the id of their facebook account.

2-2 진우 wrote:thanks charlie!
I missed the fact that they were asked to provide their password as well. As you said, asking for password is just totally insane, but still I think that it is totally fine to provide only the id of their facebook account.

I'm glad that you read the reply and responded because I was wondering why you thought it was understandable to ask for passwords. Thanks!

Generally, job interview is what employers test and clarify applicants' potential and abilities that have been written on resume. They might want to know employees wrote frankly and have no problem socially. However, it's hard to understand that Facebook information could be excellent resource for their companies' development. In a sense, some employers might take advantage of it as figuring out employees' sociabilities.
Well, there are more ways to know whether a person is social or not. This situation is totally an invasion of privacy for employees. They have no reason to tell the information, because they just applied to devote for the company with their abilities.
If they were really appropriate employees, they souldn't have answered the question(if they had done) because when they were asked to tell something related to the company after they were hired, they mustn't tell that as an employee. I believe telling the information connected to privacy shouldn't occur anywhere. I mean privacy is literally privacy. If it depended on each situation, we can't call 'it' privacy.
As a summary, to keep privacy from being released in this society, privacy should be always privacy for no reason.

Wow, I think many students already presented good arguments. As for me, I think it is not acceptable for interviewees to be asked for providing their ID and password of Facebook. I understand interviewers' need to get as much information about interviewees as possible. However, I think it should be done in somewhat different way. When it comes to Facebook, we usually regard it as personal space so we tend to put some information that's just for us or for limited close people. What I want to say is that, among information presented in Facebook, there are information that has no relevance with working ability or basic personality. So, I think interviewers need to search for different way to achieve their pure purpose. Maybe, they need to find a kind of new way to get information which is only related to estimating one's capacity to work and interact with others. I know this is really hard thing but anyway, this is my opinion.

An interview is for asking for not what their IDs and Passwords are, but what their strengths and potential. Then, Should we answer these useless questions? I believe that asking for private problems absolutely are 'Invading Privacy'. 'Invading Privacy' happens when in interview, employees feel like they are naked in front of employers. I mean that if their private things are exposed by the question of employers, that's 'Invading Privacy'.
How do you feel when you hear this? You might be embrassed and fury becasue that kind of question is useless for this application. When we hear this, we don't have to repond and reply them that question is not for this application. If they threaten you - "if you don't answer, we are going to fire you.", we could state that is illegel.

JesseTeacher wrote:Some employers in Maryland (a state in America) have asked people for their Facebook information (ID and Password) in a job interview.

What is your opinion on this? Is this an invasion of privacy? How do you feel when you hear this? Should it be legal for employers to ask for this information in an interview? If you were asked for this information in a job interview, how would you respond?

Here is a CNN article and an interview about this issue:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/us/2012/03/09/hln-prime-employer-facebook-passwords.hln

I think that asking Facebook information is irrational. Employers’ work is to evaluate job applicants’ work abilities and select who will contribute to company. But, that information, which is totally private and not formal, doesn’t give any idea whether applicants are capable of work, to employers. Also, if the information which the interviewees submitted is spilled and the company doesn't compensate, only they will be damage. And there isn't any precaution or countermeasure about exposure of information. Therefore, in job interview, it is unreasonable to ask interviewees' Facebook information.

The definition of word 'Privacy' is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively.
Anyway, what is the password? In Korean, it is some like Secretword. So should we have to let others know our secretword? No, it shouldn't be. Secretword should be secret as the word represents.

I think it’s not legal for employers to ask Facebook information (ID and Password) to interviewees. Just looking around interviewees’ Facebook may be able to acceptable, but actually asking ID and Password cannot be involved in evaluating. It seems to be more invasion of privacy. They should not evaluate them with asking too individual things, but provoke what they want by questions without external elements at least in a job interview.
If I were asked for this information, I would say like “Facebook is very individual space, so you should not ask me about it and I have a right to say to protect my privacy, but I can give you my e-mail.”

(Actually I don’t have Facebook ID now.)

Even I don't have my own Facebook ID, I actually don't know how it feels. However, I think it's an obvious invasion of privacy. Reason for that; first, it roles same as text massage. It contains lots of privacy things and it might contain some bad words and phrases as we sometimes exaggerate the expressions. But, most people don't care about it, especially, between friends or somebody we feel comfort. But, it's not related to our real character or personality. Nobody tells that is our real character. However, the employees might judge those expressions are one of our real aspect. Because they can't know how deep the friendship is and they don't know what our purpose is. They just read the text and think.
Second, we could be in a danger of leaking of personal information, If we tell or submit our password and ID. As we don't use variety of ID or password, they can abuse our information on the other web-sites when they record our password and ID. They can check some of our IDs on the other web-sites easily, with only one ID and password which we already gave. Even we change the password, we cannot change all the password of vast amount of web-sites. We might be in a danger. Nobody can guarantee the safety of our information.
So, with these 2 simple reasons, we mustn't be asked the Facebook or other sites' ID and Password.

I think that asking those kind of privacy should be illegal. Facebook is a person's private place which can connect with other people who are in personal relationship. It must be different from the work, as it is official. Your task is not really related with your private information. Intentionally or not, it sometimes can hacking by other co works or boss and get disadvantages.
So if i'm the interviewee, and questioned my facbook id or password, I would not respond. I just tell them, facebook is my own place that nobody can interrupt in. And I'll fail in the interview. But if getting a job is dsperate, I can't assert that protect my private place. Because I really don't use them often, and also there are no important and useful information in my facebook page. (Wow. I think it is more better to tell interviewer my id and get a job.) However it is just my case. Watching this promblem in general, facebook password are our privacy and we have right to protect them. Asking privacy in interview must be ban as that is a behavier which against with people's right.

JesseTeacher wrote:Some employers in Maryland (a state in America) have asked people for their Facebook information (ID and Password) in a job interview.

What is your opinion on this? Is this an invasion of privacy? How do you feel when you hear this? Should it be legal for employers to ask for this information in an interview? If you were asked for this information in a job interview, how would you respond?

Here is a CNN article and an interview about this issue:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/us/2012/03/09/hln-prime-employer-facebook-passwords.hln

Well I say it is not Invasion of privacy in all aspect. Facebook offers you a lot of privacy Features such as dividing groups and select which person to share you post so if you don't want interviewees to see your post you can just make them can't with few mouse clicks and plus having interviewee as friend on facebook might help because that provide you with interviewee's thought and likes so you probably have prepare better for the interview. Treating 'Friend Request for interview' as invasion is non-sense it can easiliy be protected with few clicks and moreover if you don't want interviewee to see your facebook account just make a false secondary account!!!

I think that asking people for their private information in a job interview is invasion of privacy. Job interview’s basic purpose is estimating people’s internal value. Thus the external things like facebook ID and password are not important. Besides, people who attended job interview weren’t settled as that company’s workers yet. In short, the interview is just a process. It means some applicants can be failed in competition. If someone is failed in a job interview even if he or she already gave the company his or her private information, the company may use their private information for their commerce. So it also can be an invasion of privacy.