Elementary education senior Shelby Wilson said she keeps her social networking as hidden as possible but sometimes still is nervous about what others can see.
However, Wilson’s security concerns might come to an end if state legislators choose to take up the cause of Internet privacy.
A newly introduced bill could make its way through the Michigan Legislature that would prevent employers and public institutions from accessing personal information online.
The bill, introduced into the House of Representatives last week by Rep. Paul Opsommer, R-DeWitt, protects employees from having to disclose personal information online to their employers.
“If 50 years ago, as part of the interview process, an employer said they needed to look through your mail, or put a bug on your phone before they would hire you, there is no way the practice would be tolerated,” Opsommer said in a statement.
The bill prohibits employers or educational institutions from requesting disclosure from or access to an employee’s “personal data storage account” — including social media sites.
But it also states that employers are not prohibited from using information readily available to the public through search engines or obtained through an authorized background check.
Legislators in Maryland already have taken up the issue, passing legislation in April that bars employers from asking for prospective employees’ social media passwords. Other state legislators in Minnesota and Illinois have written similar bills, according to ABC News.
The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology for further discussion.
Nicole Ellison, an associate professor in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, or TISM, who specializes in social networking, said students seem to be more aware of privacy concerns on sites like Facebook than they were when the site first was introduced.
Wilson agreed with Ellison and said people should be professional online but also have a place to express themselves outside of work.
“They should have a right to what is shown on the (public) social network, but privacy settings are pertinent,” she said.
Ellison said access to such personal information could be used to discriminate against potential employees, although she did not think it is a widespread practice.
“Requiring employees to share personal information not immediately relevant to … their stated job duties is abusive,” she said.
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