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You'll have to hand it over for a background check.
This is such a bad idea for reasons to numerous to count -- I'll list four.
1. identity theft, including credit card fraud (people tend to use the same passwords for social networking sites as well as for their online financial accounts).
2. violation of privacy rights - Montana has a right to privacy in their state constitution
3. violation of your friends' privacy rights - if you have a Facebook page, the city government can see everything about your friends that you can see.
4. security issues - and if a data breach should occur before you've had a chance to change your password after the background check? What then? And just password security, in general -- how many people have access to your log in and password? My skin crawls just thinking about it.
Bozeman City job requirement raises privacy concerns
montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp
Applying for a job with the City of Bozeman? You may be asked to provide more personal information than you expected.
That was the case for one person who applied for employment with the City. The anonymous viewer emailed the news station recently to express concern with a component of the city's background check policy, which states that to be considered for a job applicants must provide log-in information and passwords for social network sites in which they participate.
The requirement is included on a waiver statement applicants must sign, giving the City permission to conduct an investigation into the person's "background, references, character, past employment, education, credit history, criminal or police records."
"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords.
The requirement raises questions concerning applicants' privacy rights.
Article 2, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution reads "the right of individual privacy is essential to the well-being of a free society and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest."
The City takes privacy rights very seriously, but this request balances those rights with the City's need to ensure employees will protect the public trust, according to city attorney Greg Sullivan.
"So, we have positions ranging from fire and police, which require people of high integrity for those positions, all the way down to the lifeguards and the folks that work in city hall here. So we do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the City," Sullivan said.
Another concern the applicant raised was that by providing the City with a Facebook user name and password the City not only has access to the applicant's page but also to the pages belonging to all of the applicant's Facebook "friends."
"You know, I can understand that concern. One thing that's important for folks to understand about what we look for is none of the things that the federal constitution lists as protected things, we don't use those. We're not putting out this broad brush stroke of trying to find out all kinds of information about the person that we're not able to use or shouldn't use in the hiring process," Sullivan said.
When asked about creating a separate Bozeman Facebook page, then asking applicants to add the City as "friend," thus allowing the City to view the applicant's profile, Sullivan said officials could explore the option. This would limit the city to only view the page of the applicant.
No one has ever removed his or her name from consideration for a job due to the request, Sullivan added.
This is such a bad idea for reasons to numerous to count -- I'll list four.
1. identity theft, including credit card fraud (people tend to use the same passwords for social networking sites as well as for their online financial accounts).
2. violation of privacy rights - Montana has a right to privacy in their state constitution
3. violation of your friends' privacy rights - if you have a Facebook page, the city government can see everything about your friends that you can see.
4. security issues - and if a data breach should occur before you've had a chance to change your password after the background check? What then? And just password security, in general -- how many people have access to your log in and password? My skin crawls just thinking about it.
Bozeman City job requirement raises privacy concerns
montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp
Applying for a job with the City of Bozeman? You may be asked to provide more personal information than you expected.
That was the case for one person who applied for employment with the City. The anonymous viewer emailed the news station recently to express concern with a component of the city's background check policy, which states that to be considered for a job applicants must provide log-in information and passwords for social network sites in which they participate.
The requirement is included on a waiver statement applicants must sign, giving the City permission to conduct an investigation into the person's "background, references, character, past employment, education, credit history, criminal or police records."
"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords.
The requirement raises questions concerning applicants' privacy rights.
Article 2, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution reads "the right of individual privacy is essential to the well-being of a free society and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest."
The City takes privacy rights very seriously, but this request balances those rights with the City's need to ensure employees will protect the public trust, according to city attorney Greg Sullivan.
"So, we have positions ranging from fire and police, which require people of high integrity for those positions, all the way down to the lifeguards and the folks that work in city hall here. So we do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the City," Sullivan said.
Another concern the applicant raised was that by providing the City with a Facebook user name and password the City not only has access to the applicant's page but also to the pages belonging to all of the applicant's Facebook "friends."
"You know, I can understand that concern. One thing that's important for folks to understand about what we look for is none of the things that the federal constitution lists as protected things, we don't use those. We're not putting out this broad brush stroke of trying to find out all kinds of information about the person that we're not able to use or shouldn't use in the hiring process," Sullivan said.
When asked about creating a separate Bozeman Facebook page, then asking applicants to add the City as "friend," thus allowing the City to view the applicant's profile, Sullivan said officials could explore the option. This would limit the city to only view the page of the applicant.
No one has ever removed his or her name from consideration for a job due to the request, Sullivan added.
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Thu, June 18, 2009 - 6:33 PMThats creepy. -
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Thu, June 18, 2009 - 7:28 PMHow could someone be hired as a cop or city official lif they were dumb enough to give up username and passwords on personal accounts to a thrid party. Big no no anyways. -
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Thu, June 18, 2009 - 8:22 PM>How could someone be hired as a cop or city official lif they were dumb enough to give up username and passwords on personal accounts to a thrid party.
I know!!!
I bet if one started digging, they'd find some really egregious security practices in their offices (if they're really advocating people give up their names and passwords to unknown third parties!).
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Fri, June 19, 2009 - 12:03 AMTwo points come up:
Do you know many cops of "high moral character"??
What's to guarantee the people looking over your "application"
have enough "high moral character" to not completely screw with
your online life?
do you know many state employees/governmental officials with "high moral character"??
just read the news and you'll have your answer.... -
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Sat, June 20, 2009 - 11:01 AMHahahahahahaha!!!!
Well, this didn't take long!!!!
The article is long and hilarious, and there's a press release at the end.
Bozeman drops password requirement
montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp
The City of Bozeman has made a change in hiring policy, just two days and one worldwide reaction after we broke the story, Bozeman will no longer ask applicants for social networking user names and passwords. -
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Sat, June 20, 2009 - 8:14 PMmaybe this was an elaborate stunt to get
tourists to come to bozeman...
put them on the map, certainly...
seriously, how idiotic are these people? -
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Sun, June 21, 2009 - 11:58 AMJust from reading their press release and their quotes, I think it was massive cluelessness on their part.
>put them on the map, certainly...
Any publicity is good publicity? ;) -
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Re: Be prepared to hand over your social networking passwords if you want a job working for the city of Bozeman
Sun, June 21, 2009 - 9:08 PMI applied for a position in a local Maryland eastern shore county government, and was asked those questions on the application. I did not fill in the answers, but stated that, if tentatively hired, I would be willing to supply information on a need-to-know basis. That was sufficient to get me as far as an interview, and to be called back for a second interview. (I received a phone call from someone who was unhappy in the hiring process because I was not hired. A high county official had a friend he wanted placed in the position) I had not thought out my next line of defense, but I was bound and determined that I was not going to give out that kind of information for just any government red-butt monkey to see.
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Do you know many cops of "high moral character"??
Tue, June 23, 2009 - 8:43 AMI'd like to point out that the more effective critical analysis would not include a generalization like this.
First, one of my best friends works for the CHP and is among the top five people I have met in my life of high moral character. Second, my mother and her best friend are both retired employees of the state and they are both people of high moral character. I know plenty of state employees and law enforcement people who are high moral character.
I know that not everyone is of high moral character in these fields of work, but neither can we say that everyone is not, we can't even say with any factual certitude that -most- are or are not.
Just sayin'. -
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Re: Do you know many cops of "high moral character"??
Tue, October 13, 2009 - 4:35 PMHa! ;)
Bozeman city manager suspended over privacy flap
ow.ly/u9Ru
Bozeman city leaders have decided to suspend City Manager Chris Kukulski over former hiring practices that asked applicants for login and password information to social networking sites.
City commissioners went into executive session before announcing their decision that Kukulski will be suspended for one week sometime in the next 30 days.
The city manager said that other employees will be punished, but the details surrounding the disciplinary action will most likely remain private.
Before their decision, commissioners heard from investigator Michelle Puiggari. Her 23-page report found that the city's request for social networking passwords and login information from job applicants was not voluntary. It also found that false statements made by city staff were not intentionally misleading.
Bozeman Mayor Kaaren Jacobson called the practice intimidating and Deputy Mayor Jeff Krauss says it was a complete failure of upper management.
Kukulski told the commission he didn't have all the facts when he told them the policy was voluntary.
"As I reflect on my comments regarding the voluntary nature of the username/password section of the releases forms, it is completely unreasonable for me to believe that anyone would think that information was voluntary" Kukulski said during the meeting.
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