Thursday, Montana legislators will hear a bill that would stop employers from requiring job applicants to give online passwords and usernames. Democratic Representative Bryce Bennett of Missoula says people want to keep their privacy, even if it is posted in the public sphere.
“It’s about protecting the privacy of workers and keeping employers out of your personal business.”
And yet, companies want to know who they’re hiring.
In 2009, the City of Bozeman began asking potential employees for passwords and usernames from websites such as Facebook, Google and YouTube. It has since abandoned the process fearing penalties, but Bennett says the problem is only growing.
“We’ve heard that this is becoming a bigger and bigger trend all around the country, so anything we can do to push back against that trend and make sure we’re preserving people’s privacy rights is a big important thing for me.”
This bill will be heard Thursday in the Business and Labor Committee at 8:30 a.m.