Employers Demand Facebook Accounts

Normally, I would not be inclined to support any policy interventions by liberal, North Eastern Senate Democrats. Chuck Schumer of New York has hammered relentlessly on Congressman Paul Ryan's mature attempts to tackle federal entitlements, all of which threaten to unleash a derailing fiscal crisis on this country.Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut fibbed about his military service, and now walks in lock step with the Obama liberal juggernaut eating away at the integrity and civil liberties of this country.

Yet in defense of employee privacy, these two senators have raised due alarm about employers' invasive requests for prospective employees' Facebook passwords.

Privacy, especially online and accessible to a select few, must be protected. The activities of an individual on Facebook deserve the utmost regard, free unnecessary or unaccountable inspection. The First Amendment of the Constitution certainly safeguards freedom of speech, including the extent to which individuals wish to share information. The Fourth Amendment protects a person's personal effects from unwanted and unwarranted intrusion. The Fifth Amendment protects everyone from self-incrimination, which one may infuse within potential damaging communiques.

If current federal law cannot prevent prospective employers from spelunking around in someone's private accounts for information, then state and federal legislators must enact appropriate legislation to criminalize such probing. Because an constitutional argument exists for enacting these policies, and now more than every Internet users rely on exchanging private and vital information through electronic sources, the federal government has every right and responsibility to protect the individual integrity of Facebook accounts.

If this unacceptable intrusion into private communications persists, what will prevent employers from demanding email account access, as well? As hospital and police records go online, what will prevent extremely sensitive -- and potentially dangerous -- information about individuals from being leaked out? Every employer must exercise the appropriate capacity to judge the quality of a candidate, but that does not entitle anyone to invade a person's entire life or social circle, including their communications with online communities.