Academic institutions and employers should not have access to applicants’...
Academic institutions and employers should not have access to applicants’ online accounts, said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., Wednesday as he reintroduced HR-537, the Social Networking Online Protection Act (SNOPA) with Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. The bill…
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would make it illegal for schools, universities and employers to ask applicants, current students and employees and anyone facing disciplinary action to turn over their login information for online accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and email services, their offices said in a joint statement (http://1.usa.gov/11pUf1Y). “The lack of clarity in the law puts individuals in a position where they either have to give up vital, private information, or risk losing their job, potential job, or enrollment in school and involvement in the school’s sports programs,” Engel said. “When there are no laws prohibiting institutions from requiring this information, it becomes a common practice.” In the statement, Schakowsky compared asking an applicant for his password to asking him for his house key. “Privacy is a basic right that all Americans share, and one that we should act to protect; this legislation sets boundaries,” she said. The bill was assigned to the House Education and Workforce Committee. Other cosponsors include Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.