Introduction
The rapidly increasing growth of social media has surpassed legislation that is currently in place. Any information that individuals display onto their social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and so on, is being used by numerous employers around the world in order to gain additional knowledge of employees and applicants. When there are no laws that are set in place to ban such behavior, it becomes a conventional occurrence amongst employers. Social media websites have developed into a widespread communication instrument for personal and professional affairs. Therefore, employers will naturally want to gain access to these websites, especially the websites of their employees and potential employees to
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This Act addresses the current problem head on by seeking to outlaw current and potential employers from requesting login information to personal social media websites. Not only does the Act deal with employers but also schools and universities. The employers in each of these sectors will not be able to demand any login information to punish, discriminate or refuse employment, and the employees will not be punished for declining to hand over the information. Additionally, this bill will protect the personal privacy of employees, potential job applicants, current students and potential students.
Statement of the Problem This proposed legislation is intended to stop a rising trend of employers and schools seeking social media passwords from their students, employees and prospective students and employees. Too many schools and employers feel the need to know every detail, private or public, about the people they want in their agencies.
Everyone in this world, who has a job, wants to get a job, goes to school, or wants to get into a school is affected by this problem. Employers want to gather masses of information about their employees and potential employees they want to hire in order to make sure they are hiring respectable people. Schools want to gather information from students and potential students for the same reason. However, schools are now being pressured to gather information on their students’ social media sites
The use of social media by colleges and employers may increase as time goes on. Although some may say people have a right to personal business, it is not personal if it is posted to the public. To avoid people from looking at one’s social media, keep the page
Privacy has become a prominent topic in academic and social debate throughout the country. In “Term of Service” by Jacob Silverman, Silverman argues that American citizens today are unaware that their private information is often shown and are no longer safe from the public eye. After all, the integration of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter has made it impossible to keep anything private. Sharing life events on social media has become the new social norm in the United States. However, this new trend has left the online community with a false sense of security, leaving them venerable against data mining, profiling, and unknown surveillance issues by third party miners across the country. With no end to this threat, how can causal social media users defend themselves without any assistants? The federal government should adopt stronger privacy laws like they have in Europe. They should come up with a digital bill of reforms to help better protect the online community, better inform the public about data mining threats, and companies should get government approval for any data retrieval before they are used for financial gains.
Private information that was previously segregated now becomes easily accessible to employers, colleagues, recruiters, and clients, among other perhaps unintended audiences” (Abril, 2012, para. 4). Yes, most social media sites attain privacy settings but one must always remember there are hiccups in everything on the internet and no guarantees leaks will not occur.
In today’s society, it is crucial for employees to understand the significance in the use of social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. This subject will discuss the primary reasons companies allow the usage of social networking sites in the workplace. It will also explain the positive impact social media usage has in the workplace, such as allowing communication to a broader audience. In addition to the positive usage, this topic will also explore the negative implications usage can cause. Because social media is still relatively new, there are not many laws establishing the proper guidelines for these sites in the workplace. Scholarly articles such as the ‘Workplace impact of social networking” examine the effects of not establishing said policies, an error which results in an unhealthy work environment. Ultimately, employees can positively influence the workplace by using social media if they have the proper guidelines to follow.
A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes.
Higher education law attorney Dana L. Fleming voices her controversial opinion in favor of institutionalized involvement in social network protection in her article “Youthful Indiscretions: Should Colleges Protect Social Network Users from Themselves and Others?” (Fleming). Posted in the New England Journal of Higher Education, winter of 2008 issue, Fleming poses the question of responsibility in monitoring students’ online social networking activities. With a growing population of students registering on social networks like Facebook and MySpace, she introduces the concern of safety by saying, “like lawmakers, college administrators have not yet determined how to handle the unique issues posed by the public display of their students’
However, some people may think them looking at an applicant’s social media profile is an invasion of privacy but they should know that anything they put out on the internet is public information for anyone to see. Social media can be used as a great asset in figuring out who to admit to their college and who to give the job everyone applied for. Colleges and employers should continue to use
Applications, recommendations, and essays; essential keys when starting a new phase in one’s life. But maybe there is one thing a potential student is forgetting to perfect when sending in their submissions: their social media profiles. A survey showed that one in ten admissions counselors at the country’s top five hundred colleges are now viewing social media sites as a component of the admission’s process, as stated in Source A (Cartwright).) Although some believe this practice will lead to unfair discrimination and is an unethical practice, it comes down to a simple factor: if a social media profile is public, it is now public knowledge.
A few of the most noticeable silent moral dilemmas are the real government objectives for this new legislation. The government undoubtedly disrupts in our privacy with many hidden agendas and masks them within the national security framework. Furthermore, the executive order does not contain even one indication and lack information on how the executive order plans to guarantee our civil liberties and as the president mention the student’s privacy. On the other hand, the
Sites such as LinkedIn helps recruiters in recruiting candidates by expanding the reach of their personal networks, contact candidates directly, and manage an array of talent (Schawbel, 2012). With most people being aware that employers do reference their profile for character check, people do believe that employers have the right to view their information in order to learn about the candidates’ personality and to ensure the person is not a liability (Budden, Elkersh, Vicknair, & Yancey, 2010). In conclusion, employers should be using social media only for job-relevant purposes. Employers should take specific steps
Social Media is a current way in which people are using to interact with one another daily. Since the launch of various Social Networking Sites (SNS) its been a huge attraction in a new way to share information with others and correspond with interests of your choice in many different forms. Although social media sites allow users to share information with friends and other sites on the internet, many people are unaware of how their privacy is getting out. Now that the expansion of global connection through these social media networking sites are so highly present in todays society, giving us easy access to information, the lack of one's privacy is being diminished. Everyday peoples privacy rights are
According to Renee Fricks, vice president of human resources at Imperial Capital, “Your social media profile can be more revealing that your resume” (Cohen, 10). Social media has become a normal use of technology of an average college student. From Facebook and Twitter, there is a means of connecting students on diverse planes via the Internet. This allows employers to search any potential job candidate’s social media to investigate user’s posts to determine if they fit their position and hold themselves with high moral regard. If students do not monitor what they post, potential employers may be turned away because of inappropriate pictures, conversations, or other behaviors. Learning about proper social media uses can prevent qualified candidates from losing job opportunities.
Employers and schools nowadays evaluate applicants from their social media accounts. For example, the applicant’s Facebook profile could be used to get information such as age, residence and even academic history. What worries Joanna Stern in the article, “Demanding Facebook Passwords May Break Law, Say Senators” is the fact that employers and schools require employees and students to give their Facebook passwords to access their profiles. This practice poses unanticipated legal liabilities. Thus, government officials have rose against the practice. Indeed, requiring a user to share Facebook account’s password for access to the user’s profile is morally wrong and does not meet its intended objective.
Social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook have created a new ethical dilemma for many businesses. Corporations, small businesses, and even universities are struggling create policies to manage their employees social networking behaviors. Social networking access, particularly for recruiters, can provide personal information about potential employees, which would otherwise not be available. A business must follow statutes and guidelines when disclosing information to the public. Individuals on social networking sites have no such constraints. Employees can and do make comments about their employers online. Employers can and do watch what employees post online. Any individual can send or post potentially damaging information
Almost everyone in developed countries, during this day and age, has social media accounts. There are many platforms of social media including but not limited to: facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, myspace, linkedin, etc… And there are many reasons for using these social media platforms such as: keeping contact with old friends and distant relatives, meeting new people and sharing life experiences with people around the globe, or stalking that cute girl at work but never making contact. Among these reasons, and many more is the controversial topic of whether job employers should be able to use of social media to look up applicants. I believe job employers have a right to look up potential employees because doing so would allow them to