Job applications and facebook password

[vickysue]

I don't think it is right. I have hired a lot of people during my working years and i never once asked about their personal life. It was not any of my business and not anyone else either.

[jamrow36]

since so many companies have facebook pages and twitter accounts, they want to make sure nobody is posting about them on the web in any way derogatory.  Since you can block individual access to people, employers now want your account password so they can view everything you do and say.  For example, you call in sick to work on a Monday morning and your employer sees pictures in your account from a wild Saturday night party.  I always say and do the following: make 2 accounts....one public and one private.  it's against Facebook policy but rarely if ever enforced.  just don't give them the same name or same email.

[Mykat]

I have never heard of this facebook password thing. I would seriously consider where you are looking, this seems like a scam unless it is some black ops CIA thing, but they could probably get your password anyway. Give them a fake password, or just change it immediatly. Something sounds very fishy though, I would reconsider these jobs.

Oh it is real...here are just two of many discussions. :
 http://www.khou.com/news/local/Teachers-aide-fired-for-not-giving-up-Facebook-password-145877155.html
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-04-10/news/bs-md-privacy-law-20120410_1_facebook-password-social-media-bradley-shear

[JasmineAS]

I feel like yes, it is a complete invasion of privacy.. but if you don't have anything to hide then what's the problem?