Main image of article Employers Want Your Facebook Password
PrivacyUPDATED: Facebook weighs in. Candidates are being asked with alarming frequency to share their Facebook logins with employers. It's becoming a widespread practice that's not limited to tech by any means, which represents a dangerous development in your efforts to separate your personal and professional lives. "It's akin to requiring someone's house keys," Orin Kerr, a George Washington University law professor and former federal prosecutor, told the AP. The Justice Department says it's a crime to access a social networking site if doing so violates its terms of service. Giving out your Facebook login does just that. But legal experts say the terms don't have any real standing, and the Justice Department has said it won't prosecute. So, what can you do? Not a lot, unfortunately. Right now, companies can pass on hiring if you don't play by their rules. You could keep your profiles squeaky clean, of course, though that kind of defeats the purpose of Facebook. Though you could argue what's private in your account really is no business of anyone besides you, employers aren't likely to care what you say. In other words, you don't have many choices here -- except to pass on the job. Am I missing something? Do you have another way to approach this? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.