by Brian Prince, eWeek
Illinois has become the second state in the country to pass legislation banning companies from asking employees or job applicants for their login information for social networks. The bill, which Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law Aug. 1, makes it illegal for an employer to request social network account information in order to gain access to their profile. It also prevents employers from screening potential job candidates or reprimanding current employees based on information from social networks that would otherwise be private. “Employers certainly aren’t allowed to ask for the keys to an employee’s home to nose around there, and I believe that same expectation of personal privacy and personal space should be extended to a social networking account,” Christine Radogno, state senate minority leader and co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “This law will not only protect employees’ reasonable rights to privacy on the Web, but will shield employers from unexpected legal action.”
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