Colleges and Employers Now Requiring Applicants' Facebook Passwords

[viranimus]

I have absolutely ZERO sympathy over this.

Facebook, a site notorious for not only having no concept on what privacy is, is known for being one of the most notorious sites for killing the anonymity of the internet because of its users ignorance in supplying actual information to it.

Perpetuated by a generation of people who have no concept of how killing the anonymity of the internet is a bad thing.

And who have no problem volunteering personal data to anyone who wants to look at it, be it tracking cookies, snooping programs like steam and origin or simple marketing research. How many give your actual information like your address when your trying to buy batteries at radio shack? How about giving your phone number when starting up new internet service? How about giving your doctor your email address? People have been trained in voluntary compliance and they do not even comprehend how they are fucking every one by doing so.

If you set back and thought "hey why should I care" or "this doesnt effect me" or "I have nothing to hide" or did absolutely nothing to protect your identity online then you know what? Stow your criticisms on this because your what created this sort of precedent because this is the illustration of HOW your fucking everyone else over.

You made your bed, now snuggle up in it.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Wow, how Orwellian of them. I would be tempted to tell them in no uncertain terms to go f*ck themselves if they asked for my passwords. Of course I don't use Facebook, but I doubt this is just about Facebook.

 

[viranimus]

snooping programs like steam

Steam isn't a snooping program. Steam hardware surveys are entirely option, and half the time you have to ask Steam to do it in the first place.

don't be stupid.

Dont be gullible. The program still does it, It only asks if you wish to share it with steam. But that was not actually what I was talking about. Steam records all sorts of data that it really has no reason to have and does so on the basis of "offering you a better service" like what games you buy, what games your playing, how long youve been playing, etc.

How many give your actual information like your address when your trying to buy batteries at radio shack?

What kind of idiot spends $6 for four AAs when you can get a 24 pack of Duracells at Walmart for just $9?

It was the first common item to come to my head that I know all radio shacks sell. It does not matter if its batteries, 3.5 stereo jacks, HDMI cables, Replacement cordless phone NICAD batteries, etc any purchase you make at radio shack they will ask you for personal info they have no valid reason to have.

As for wal-mart.. what kind of idiot buys anything at wal-mart knowing that they are a major reason why the countries economy is fucked right now and a major reason why we are addicted to cheap Chinese shit products.

But the real question is.. Why bring up the point of where you buy batteries? That had not a damned thing to do with the subject of people stupidly volunteering personal information.

How about giving your phone number when starting up new internet service?

Don't have a choice when the internet service comes on that very phone line. Besides, how's ATT gonna call and tell me the internet's gonna be down for six hours because some dipshit slid off the rainy road and took out the only distribution box for DSL service in my area?

Hrm... Ohkaaaay that was directed at common broadband internet connections like cable internet or modern DSL connections that require no phone installation. As for AT&T calling to tell you the internet is going to be down? FUCK AT&T. I dont WANT them calling me cause Im pretty sure that if the Internet goes down I will be able to figure out its offline. And you DO have a choice because if you are not compelled to provide that info, you do not have to get service with them. However again, the phone number is not relevant. It is an example of the type of information that they simply do not need to have.

How about giving your doctor your email address?1: Only if I want my doc to email me something. 2: Disposable email addresses.

Its still none of their business to have that information, if you go out of your way to provide it, Ok, but you should have NEVER been asked for it. As for the disposable point, the same could be said for this whole issue. You could simply give a bogus facebook account.

If you set back and thought "hey why should I care" or "this doesnt effect me" or "I have nothing to hide" or did absolutely nothing to protect your identity online then you know what? Stow your criticisms on this because your what created this sort of precedent because this is the illustration of HOW your fucking everyone else over.

So those of us who aren't idiots have to put up with a gross privacy invasion as well? Do note how the vast majority of people who are against this are people who actually value their privacy.

Well yes, because if you hadnt given radio shack, your doctor and AT&T your information in the first place thereby creating the precedent that any entity that asks for your information you will willingly give it to, they would have never got it in their head that they could get away with asking for it. If people actually valued their privacy like your suggesting it would have never happened in the first place and quite frankly if your on facebook you DONT value your privacy because its clearly in their terms and conditions how they will retain your data, not remove your data even if you close your account and use your data for their own ends and are required to post only legitimate information about yourself and are not allowed to have "false" accounts, or else you signed up for something not reading the terms and conditions of it thereby being able to know what your getting into.

However, on this you are right. People SHOULD be pissed about these organizations asking for this info and SHOULD be fighting against invasions of privacy. I did not suggest that people should not be fighting against it. The problem is that the fight should have occured long before this became an issue. Now, the simplest and best way to fix this is for everyone to abandon facebook and when you go to some other form of social networking, dont screw over both yourself and everyone around you by putting in real information at the demand of an online webform.

So again, No. I have no sympathy for people complaining about a problem they created.

 

[Griffolion]

I'm guessing at this moment someone owes George Orwell a lot of money.

 

[Brundlefly]

anc[is]Solution: don't use Facebook. Nobody gives a shit about what you just ate or the song lyrics you just posted anyway.

I saw an interview with an employer who regularly uses Facebook to research potential employees and they asked her what she would think if the candidate didn't have an account. Her response was that would make her suspicious. I presume she would think the same about someone who used their privacy settings properly.

Only way to win is to never do anything stupid and embody the values of your future employer from cradle to grave.

I'm sure there's an Orwell quote I'm supposed to put here but I'm sure you can find one for yourself

 

[Torrasque]

Dear US of A,

Get this. Soon.

Root.

PS. Otherwise, ditch Bookface or at least get another account.

"Now why would we need data protection when the government will protect us? I don't trust the internets" - what I imagine is a typical response from a net noob.

OP: This is fucking stupid. I would quit using facebook altogether and/or have multiple accounts (more so than I do now /cough) just to throw them off the trail. I wouldn't mind adding them to facebook, but unrestricted privacy? Fuck off.
I suppose next they will want unrestricted access to personal files?

 

[XDravond]

HAHAHA anyone wanting my logins for whatever can start looking for someone else sure my FB is thin and does not contain much, my mail though depends on witch one you mean since I as so many others have more than one...
This is the same foe everyone doesn't matter whether it's government, workplace, company or random person. You want to know what I have on it? You have to do as everyone else and hack them or have constant surveillance on me etc... If they do that I can at least sue them for it...
So glad I'm not American so that "patriot act" and other surveillance crap can go F themselves.
Sure I know they can(and probably are) monitor me anyhow but at least it's still illegal and if I find out I can rage on about it... Not that it matter or I can do anything about it...

/of to plant some fun stuff on my FB so employers don't want me..

 

[Aureliano]

Sweet! So what if potential employers can't legally ask your race, age, gender, religion, marital status or sexual orientation? Well now they can just log onto your facebook and see what you do on your off hours, who you kiss in photos (anybody say sexual orientation?), who you've dated, who all your family members are, your stance on various random things, all sortsa fun stuff that would be a violation of your rights to disclose in an interview, at least as far as U.S. law on the subject has seemed to be concerned in the past.

 

[Belated]

This just goes to show how tighter business regulation is a good idea. We need laws that disallow institutions from doing stuff like this.

 

[Wintermoot]

what if you don,t have FB or turn in fake account data?

 

[dobahci]

Employers can force you to give them your account password legally?

Honestly, it's just more proof that the laws we have are created and enforced by old people who think the internet is some kind of toy. That's the only explanation for some of the nonsensical shit that is legal or illegal online.

I don't have a FB account, but I still say fuck that. Any company that believes in invading the privacy of its employees is one I have no interest in working for.

 

[The Funslinger]

Dear US of A,

Get this. Soon.

Root.

PS. Otherwise, ditch Bookface or at least get another account.

I second this.

That is seriously messed up. If I went to an interview and my potential employers where demanding personal information like this I would not want to work for them and would say as much in the interview.

Makes me irritable about the fact I'd like to live in America.

I believe it was once said: "Anyone who would trade freedom for security deserves neither".

 

[Sansha]

If any employer or group leader ordered me to hand over my Facebook password, or be forced to accept them as a friend on it, I'd tell them to eat it and no longer associate with them.

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

Say you don't have an account? Make an alternate one? What if you really don't have one? So many ways this is BS.

Obviously, this is intended to weed out stupid people, not devious ones.

Apparently, only the most technologically illiterate people who willingly give out their information to any online account. Lie or make a fake account, that's the beauty of the internet.

Except if they're that interested in knowing, there's nothing stopping them from doing a Facebook search for your name (a very large number of Facebook users use real names for offline friends and family), or even to find/look up your friends and family to get more information about you.


Honestly, I think back to a commercial which used to air after 9/11. It would say "Terrorists tried to change our country" and then it'd show houses with a bunch of flags and go "they succeeded." That commercial was trying to make it sound like we all got more patriotic (which is funny, cause it didn't feel that way), but really it was absolutely true.. just nothing to do with people having flags. They DID succeed in fucking up the US so it no longer trusts even its own citizens.

 

[bjj hero]

Im loving all these posters whos jobs are so awesome that they would never take a job from a company that wants to see their facbook. Good luck getting on the career ladder.

I dont use facebook and I live in the UK so this doesnt really bother me.

Finally all the "Just lie people"...

The easiest way to get fired is to get caught lying on your interview/application. I hope your face is nowhere on your actual facebook account.