Ruggerio bill would boost social media privacy in hiring

PROVIDENCE – Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-Providence, would bar employers from demanding social media-related materials of job applicants, and would establish similar prohibitions for colleges as they consider prospective students under a bill he introduced.
The bill is patterned on a new law in California that is considered one of the nation’s strongest social media privacy laws, Ruggerio said. He also cited recent surveys and reports that some potential employers are asking job applicants to provide their login information or sign into their social media accounts during the interview process to allow the employer to view their social media activities.
The bill provides that educational institutions and employers cannot require individuals to disclose information such as passwords, user names or contacts. Additionally, no discipline could be imposed for refusal.
“There should be a distinct line between what an individual posts and makes available to others and information such as passwords and one-to-one communications,” Ruggerio said. •

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