COLUMBUS, Ohio – A bill in the Ohio Senate would keep your Facebook and Twitter accounts free of an employer’s prying eyes.
The Social Media Privacy Protection Act, sponsored by Columbus Democrat Charleta Tavares, would ban companies from asking employees for access to their social networking sites beyond what is publicly visible.
The bill is in response to a recent trend of employers requiring current staff and potential employees to provide passwords to various social media sites, Tavares said.
“Employees should not have to give the keys to their personal and private information just to gain or maintain employment,” stated Senator Charleta B. Tavares.
The bill would prohibit employers, employment agencies, personnel placement services, and labor organizations from requiring an applicant or existing employee to provide access to private electronic accounts such as Facebook.
The bill does not apply to work related electronic accounts.
If approved and signed, Ohio would be the seventh state to pass similar legislation.
So far this year, 21 states have introduced or have pending legislation concerning this issue, Tavares said.