Earlier today, Congressman Eliot Engel introduced a bill that would ban employers and educational institutions from demanding that prospective or current employers and students disclose online passwords.
"As you know, social media and networking has become such a widespread part of communications in our country, and around the globe. However, a person’s digital footprint is largely unprotected," Engel said in a letter to Congressional colleagues asking that they support the proposal, which was obtained by msnbc.com from Engel's office.
"There have been countless examples of employers requiring an applicant to divulge their user name and password as part of the hiring process. Additionally, some universities, and even secondary schools, have required the student either divulge their personal information, or grant the institution access to the personal account by ‘friending’ the student."
The proposed legislation is called the "Social Networking Online Protection Act," or SNOPA. It would not only ban employers and educational institutions from demanding an online password during the hiring/enrollment process or when considering disciplinary action, but would also forbid employers and schools from taking reprisals against anyone who refuses to give up that information.
The bill's not up on THOMAS yet, but according to a release from Engel's office, fellow Dem Jan Schakowsky has already signed on as a cosponsor.
Engel's "Dear Colleague" letter does a really good job of framing the issue. He quite rightly argues that demanding a Facebook password is no different from someone demanding an email or online banking password. "We have to draw the line between what is publicly available information, and what is personal, private content," he wrote.
Hopefully this bill can go somewhere. I would think that there are enough libertarian-minded Republicans to at the very least keep this bill from getting bottled up in committee.