Gov. Rick Snyder signs law that prohibits employers, schools to ask for social media account logins

By Fritz Klug

LANSING, MI — Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation into law Friday that would prohibit employers from their asking workers for logins to their social media and internet accounts.

The bill, introduced by state Rep. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, bars companies and schools from asking employees and students for their usernames and passwords.

“Cyber security is important to the reinvention of Michigan, and protecting the private internet accounts of residents is a part of that,” Snyder said in a press release. “Potential employees and students should be judged on their skills and abilities, not private online activity.”

Nesbitt said the bill is aimed at keeping up with changing times and technology.

“Let’s get the parameters out there,” Nesbitt said Friday after Snyder signed the legislation. “Lets demonstrate there are limits.”

Under the law, employers cannot discipline employees or decline to hire job applicants because they do not give them access information, including user names, passwords, login information, or “other security information that protects access to a personal internet account,” according to the bill.

Universities and schools cannot discipline or fail to admit students if they do not give similar information.

However, accounts owned by a company or educational institution, such as e-mail, can be requested.

Nesbitt said the bill stems from events in March when an employer asked staffers for their login details. Nesbitt said constituents approached him about the issue.

The American Civil Liberties Union and National Federation of Independent Business both endorsed the Michigan bill, Nesbitt said. Maryland has passed a similar law and the Illinois state legislature introduced a similar piece of legislation.

Nesbitt said he worked with various groups on the law. Michigan State University, for example, wanted language that said the university owns the @msu.edu email addresses, he said. Some businesses wanted language to reflect that some companies are prohibited from having social media accounts.

The offense is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.