Want a city job? Fork over your usernames, passwords(Bozeman, MT)

[RamboLiberal]

Readers with neck problems are advised to skip this post because it is sure to have your head shaking.

Officials who run the city of Bozeman, Montana -- perhaps setting a new standard for privacy invasion in the name of public safety -- are insisting that job applicants cough up their usernames and passwords for any social networking sites or online forums in which they participate. Reason: background checks.

From a report on Montana's News Station:

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.

Beyond the pale, you say? Not according to Bozeman city attorney Greg Sullivan, who defended the policy after assuring the television station that "the city takes privacy rights very seriously." (Understanding them is another matter.)

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/42819?source=NWWNLE_nlt_security_2009-06-22

Hope every applicant for a job there tells them screw that you can keep your F'ing job!

[Downtown Hound]

1. Would you like to install cameras in their bedroom as well, city of Bozeman?

Then you can actually see what they do while they're surfing all those porn sites by themselves.

[w4rma]

2. The heck with that policy. That should be unconstitutional and if not, illegalized. (nt)

[47of74]

3. I believe I've already given my response to the city over this, but it bears repeating

[K Gardner]

4. I was told at my new hire orientation that employers ROUTINELY check Facebook, etc., for new

employee hires and that people HAVE been terminated or not hired on basis of what was found there. The lesson, I was told, "Be careful what you put on Facebook"...

[snappyturtle]

9. My daughter and an accountant at Pearson Assessments, Bloomington,MN

lost their jobs over innocuous comments on Facebook. My daughter was looking for another job when she was fired but.....I think it's an evasion of privacy. Pearson is not employee friendly to begin with.

[AndyTiedye]

12. What You Put on a Public Page is Public

but the city of Bozeman wants all the private stuff as well, if they're demanding passwords and all. That's WAY over the line.

[Warpy]

5. Or lie about any website you're on

because it's really none of their fucking business, any more than what you do in your own home and what you say when you're talking to friends are.

The demand for passwords is especially troublesome.

They can just go to hell. I suggest the civil disobedience of simply lying and telling them you're not on any of those sites.

Someone with deep pockets will eventually sue over this and win.

Until then, jobs are scarce enough that they will have applicants. I just hope those applicants know enough to lie their asses off.

[Pyrzqxgl]

6. I'd recomend an e mail blitz at these jerks by anyone who believes in free speech & privacy.

Oh, and lots of people ought to apply for jobs and give them links to funny & phony web sites like
The Republican National Committee, The Flat Earth Society, etc.

[drm604]

7. Old story. They've already backed down on this.

http://www.appscout.com/2009/06/bozeman_mt_ditches_username_pa.php

[snappyturtle]

11. Thanks. nt

[mikeytherat]

13. And they were dicks about it:

"The city of Bozeman believes we have a responsibility to ensure candidates hired for positions of public trust are subject to a thorough background check," the city said Friday. "The extent of our request for a candidate's password, username, or other Internet information appears to have exceeded that which is acceptable to our community."

Potential TOS violations at these sites raise potential legal issues, not issues of "community acceptability." Yes, we understand - you were only trying to protect us, and be responsible to the public trust (complete and utter fail on that last one, by the way).

mikey_the_rat

[drm604]

26. No question.

I just thought that I should point it out. It's inevitable that we'll have dicks trying to get away with this kind of crap, but the fact that the light of day made them back off is an important part of the story and says good things about this country.

[mikeytherat]

27. Absolutely. I just loathe non-apology apologies (especially under the guise of "public safety")

Especially trying to shift the blame because the "community" felt it was unacceptable.

mikey_the_rat

[RamboLiberal]

15. Good - but still disturbing that some idiots in that government

Thought they were within their right to ask.

[Regret My New Name]

21. This actually really pisses me off...

I don't live anywhere near there, but still. I don't know why this is bothering me so much, but I would love to talk to this asshat Greg Sullivan and demand he explain where the hell he thinks he gets off asking for that. I hope they kick him out for this bullshit, just for trying to get away with it.

[nashville_brook]

8. providing both u-name and p-word would give them admin access.

[BlooInBloo]

10. BWAHAHAAHAAA!!!

[conspirator]

14. If they checked my anarchist DU posts no corporation would ever employ me nt

[RamboLiberal]

17. Imagine if your employers were RW'ers

I think a lot of us would be terminated. I know I work with RW'ers including most in the management.

I think even Freepers wouldn't want to let it be known to employers about their posts.

[billyoc]

16. Sure, no prob, it's [e-mail]

[mtnester]

18. Um, passwords? User names are bad enough, but passwords

Passwords you do not need to read up on their "social sites"

"Hey, can I have the password to your bank, cause, I have to have it to do a background check...oh and I will also need the one to your garage and your alarm system, cause, you know, we have to look THERE too"


Lawsuit coming

[LiberalAndProud]

19. "the City" was quoted in that article. (???)

Some folks need to be moved out of the city counsel, I'd say. And maybe Bozeman needs a new city attorney too. Because "the City" sounds really stupid.


I'd really like to know if a real live person was quoted in the article. Sloppy reporting.

[Regret My New Name]

20. I wonder what compelled them to think this would fly....

I want Greg Sullivan to give me his usernames and passwords for everything.

[Ilsa]

22. Considering that I used the word "fucking" in my previous post, it looks like I have

alot of work to do.

It just goes to show that a person needs to start early in establishing a false persona online as a sort of "morality" alibi.

[Ikonoklast]

23. Sure, they can have all my personal and financial information.

As long as they sign a document witnessed by an impartial third party that they would be liable for any an all damages or losses incurred by me when that private information gets mis-used, which it invariably will.

I can be reached at [e-mail].

[Hugabear]

24. I suppose that would include DU as well

I can only imagine what some fucktard RW nutjob would do with a DU member's login info.

[HillWilliam]

25. Sure. Quick as I have theirs.

The first rule of playin' "doctor" is they show theirs first. I ain't a fool. :rofl:

[fujiyama]

28. Usernames and Passwords?

Ha, yeah right. Why don't I give them my IP address too or better yet just hand 'em over my hard drive.

What idiots. If they want to conduct a public background check, I think they're more than entitled to do so. They can go through and see what a job candidate's PUBLIC profile is on a social networking site, but beyond that I'm not giving my usernames and passwords to anyone.

[Pharlo]

29. Seems to me,

that if all city employee applicants have to divulge usernames and passwords to the city for consideration by the board, all public official candidates should have to divulge their usernames and passwords to the general electorate so they can perform a full background check prior to voting.

[sarcasmo]

30. I thought a credit check was bad.