Illinois employers can no longer force Facebook password disclosure

Midwestern state follows law signed earlier this year in Maryland.

by Cyrus Farivar

Watch out employers—as of January 1, 2013, you won’t be able to compel employees or job applicants to disclose passwords for social networking sites anymore.

On Wednesday, Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law at the Illinois Institute of Technology, making the state the second, after Maryland, to halt the practice. Other states, including Washington, Delaware, and New Jersey, are considering adopting similar legislation.

"Members of the workforce should not be punished for information their employers don’t legally have the right to have," Gov. Quinn said in a statement. "As use of social media continues to expand, this new law will protect workers and their right to personal privacy."

In March 2012, the Associated Press published an article detailing how some employers, notably law enforcement, were effectively compelling job applicants to disclose their social network passwords, especially on Facebook. That, in turn, prompted Facebook to say it would consider lawsuits against firms that demand such information.

The article also prompted attention from American senators, who queried the United States Department of Justice for a ruling on the practice. Two separate Congressional bills have been introduced on Capitol Hill in April and May, although they have not yet been brought to a vote.