Just because someone doesn't post everything on fb DOESN'T mean that they are clean to go.
Also,what people say isn't always true either.They may say something just to "sound cool" to their peers.
What people need are more ways to check out an emplayers back ground too so that they know who they two are getting involved with.
Far too many shady employers that shouldn't even be in business.

This is an easy question for me to answer. I don't use facebook. Problem solved. I'm not sure the employer would believe me, though.

"If you want privacy, don't stick your self-absorbed life's story on Facebook."- NVgrf @10:49am

Absolutely! There is nothing that can be added to this statement, it says it all.

Wow- a topic we all agree upon! I'd delete my account before giving anyone access rights. No, no, no!

First of all,for what it is worth and most ignored in this topic,is that there are far to many shady employers out there.
I don't have a facebook account because I think that I find it to be a waist of time reading or putting any information about my-self into.Even if I were to take a Saturday or Sunday to do it I would still be faced with responding to the inqueries to non-related Job related gossip the rest of the week.If people I know don't want to connect on my E mail or phone,then why bother?
Second,(which is really first).With all these regulations involving loo king into Face Book should someone post something incriminating,There is way to much ignoring of the large amount of shady employers,who if left to Face Book for information to them,only would include what they want you to know about them instead of what people really need to know.If that is left to say that a person is guilty of a crime only because they posted it on Face Book,then we are left again where the problem began with in that the FCC has found a nice little nook to sit and be comfortable with doing as little as possible.Which creates a huge vacume of occupational fluctuations that in turn is the very main reason why the economy constantly stays at a stand still if not continually gets worse.

I think Face Book is more for the gossipers.

Steve, glad you commented on this, hope you want to educate your readers some more, this isn't just about facebook security. If you play with the new Windows 8 software you can see that you have to register with Microsoft in order to log onto your computer. This is the first step to making applicable to carry things like your favorites on your internet explorer to any computer in the world and so many other things. Google also has there version of facebook, and cloud computing. If facebook does decide to sue, and lose, employers could essentially ask for any cloud computing passwords, not only that, but hope you aren't checking your bank accounts online because it would give your employer even more credo to tracking all of your activities while using their computers, would you feel safe if someone got into the Gazette servers and downloaded that information? Legislation needs to be passed and quickly. We should all educate ourselves on the danger of cloud computing and encourage our legislators to get on top of this issue.

Nope. Wont give ANYONE passwords to any site I'm on. No I wont "friend" a supervisor or other boss either. Once I punch out, I'm on my own time, not work. What I do off the clock is MY business and none of my employers business.

I've had applications where they wanted all user ID's & passwords for message boards, social sites and email accounts right on the application. I just stopped filling it out and tore it up.

Then again, I dont use my first name on FB and rarely post anything anyways. Only people who see the wall are people in my friends list. I think I still have a post from 6 months ago still showing. Most everything I do is with the messaging system on there anyways.

NVgrf wrote..."If you want privacy, don't stick your self-absorbed life's story on Facebook."

Or... comment on gazetteextra.

Ain't that right grf?

I would love to give up my fakebook password information, it just so happens I have no account with fakebook. Or youtube or myspace or any other type of "social media". Its just not for me.

I would have no problem with a potential employer viewing my Facebook page...nothing to be ashamed of there. I would, however, have a big problem with a potential employer expecting me to hand over my passwords. That's simply not going to happen.

As an employer...there is no way in you know where, that I would ever feel it was my place to invade someones privacy like that...if thats how they are you dont want to work there. Whats next a strip seach, and cavity search....ridiculous

Facebook, Lawmakers Warn Employers Not to Demand Passwords.

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/nat...

Having linked that, I don't have anything on my Facebook page, but I happily gave my current employer my YouTube channel because, well, I put stuff up there that I'm kind of proud of. Some of it anyway. They looked at it, liked it, and now I work there.
Of course, I only gave them ONE of my YouTube channels!!!

Just remember this rule or two.
If it is out there in public ANY body can look at it.
2- know this when posting anything and it will be out there forever!
give user name and password - no way. None of their business to access MY ACCOUNT. What you can find on facebook by searching that is different.

Steve- WHO is asking for this - has this happened to somebody?

Stevie, even though yours is only a blog entry, it's a blog entry on a newspaper site, and this post quite frankly smacks of yellow journalism. In any case, you fail in doing your homework. Please read the following from the Hartford Courant: http://articles.courant.com/2012-03-27/n...

Flat out NO. However, if they insisted that I add them as a " friend ", that would be another matter. No one is going to have administrator rights to my site but they are free to read whatever I have posted. I'm not silly enough to put anything that would get me fired!

Whenever I post on FB, my rule of thumb is remembering that my mother is going to see it. With that said, I do post my political opinion on my page and in this heated political climate would hate to be passed over for a job based on that. My current employer doesn't even know my password for the computer at work. Why then, would they expect me to give them a personal password? If an employer has an issue with me not wanting to divulge my private life to them, then perhaps I don't want to work there. I guess my response to them would be, I'll let you see my facebook page if I can see yours (and everyone else's in the company). I think this is ridiculous.

NO....I would never give any one my passwords for anything online . 2, on my profile pic i use my dogs pic , i dont play facebook games (wich want you to share your basic info)No facebook apps at all, i only allow friends to see info , and i don't post where i work or the year i was born my address or correct phone #'s .....Basically i use it for music and jokes....thas really all its good for ......I dont share my tooth brush and i wont share my passwords either .

There are some things on an application that are optional to fill out, this would be one of them. Its not a mandatory thing. Just leave it blank.

No passwords.
They should not expect the right to manipulate your account settings.
Let them request friend status if you want the job, but no password.
You could get blocked out of your own account and they could post
anything that they want and attribute it to you.

On the other hand, it could also be a test to see how willing you are to share things that should not be shared. If you are that quick to hand over your FB password, what would it take to get you to tell someone the code to the security system? Which day the cash is put in that bottom desk drawer instead of deposited? The admin password to the computer systems?

If you want privacy, don't stick your self-absorbed life's story on Facebook.

I would hand over my password if they would promise to un-friend all of the narcissistic 'oversharers' while they're in there. I've done a few this year and IT FEELS GREAT;)

It is not illegal to use the Wisconsin Court Access to help their hiring decisions as long as the employer only considers convictions for crimes that would directly relate to the job for which the candidate is applying.

I would not give out that information. I'm not worried about what a potential employer may see, but I think it's wrong on principle. Any company that does this and does not hire the applicant is setting themselves up for a discrimination lawsuit. There is all kinds of information you can put in facebook about yourself that employers cannot legally ask or consider when hiring. It's a very slippery slope for employers. Not to mention it is a violation of facebook's user agreement, and there has been a lot of conversation about whether it violates the Stored Communications and Computer Fraud and Abuse acts that are already law. The bottom line is there are very few things an employer could see on facebook that they could legally use in the consideration for hiring, so even asking for access to it is incredibly stupid.

Well stated Sigma40
I totally agree, and have told all my kids, as well as others the once you touch a key on any computer it is no longer private....Not in this day and age...

If people are stupid enough to post something on facebook that could potentially harm them that is their own fault. Although I dont think an employer has the right to access it, that is kind of a personal posession. Some of the garbage people post on there it is like a diary, more info than you want to read. Does make good reading though....very humorous.

No, I will not hand over a password to FB nor any other online password, nor would I give the keys to my, house, car, or combination to the vault that holds my millions of dollars in rare beenie babies!
I have not heard why they are asking or what they are looking for.
I mean, I know employers that still use the Wisconsin Court Access to help their hiring decisions, and that is illegal.
Plus, people should be careful what they post and what they say online anyway, after it is the window OF the world to spy on you – more than you know.
Also, these days people are being outed for signing the recall petition, that seems more controversial.
And Steve, you are not that innocent on FB. :)

Hard for them to make me give something I don't have....but that is an invasion of privacy...how do you know some unscrupulous employee won't change your privacy settings, etc. That said, people should not post incriminating information or photos, and if you are that stupid, maybe you shouldn't have certain jobs, either.