Imagine a situation in which a crazy ex-partner is logging into your Facebook or Twitter account and proceeds to read through all of your personal messages and rifles through pages and pages of comments and pictures just to find something incriminating. In this case, you would never give this person your password and email. However, as times begin to change and social media becomes more prevalent, employers are taking the role of the hypothetical ex-partner and asking to gain access to social media profiles of their potential employees.
How ethical is this form of surveillance? It depends on the circumstance. If a job requires strict privacy, then you shouldn’t have many social media profiles to begin with. In fact, the members of the Ohio State football team were asked to ditched their Twitter accounts for the betterment of their team and to privatize any sort of conflicts that may arise. Suppose someone was beginning their career as a CIA agent, it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to tweet and have his or her location published online for all to see. However, if someone is applying to be a waitress at Bob Evan’s, they really should not have to give up their social media rights.
Personally, I have ran into a few problems with social media in the workplace. On one occasion, I tweeted a frustrated tweet during my on-the-clock hours and I was scolded for it. Even though I did not directly cite my job as the reason for my rage, I still was told not to put anything on a site that could reflect poorly on the organization. Of course I thought this was excessive because I was on the receiving end of punishment, but as I watch others fall into the same trouble, I continue to see this as an irrational form of restriction. When I tweeted my controversially tweet, I received no feedback on it. No retweets. No texts. No replies. It was just me voicing my anger in the moment.
I believe organizations are too sensitive when it comes to social media, but that doesn’t mean I endorse someone slandering their own company. I am all for a quick scan through of a potential employee’s profile. If a complete stranger can find out certain information, there is no harm in having your future employer check you out before an interview. When an employer asks for a password, that is a breach of privacy and trust. If this becomes the norm, then how far could this progress? Could an employer potentially ask for you to hand over your phone for review? At what point are we supposed to draw the line?
A quick skim through won’t hurt. Filtering your opinions about your job and ridiculous party antics should be normal, but invasion of privacy should not be.