Senator Miriam agrees that your Facebook account should be off-limits to your boss

by Ardelle Costuna

(Dane Alegana/ Flickr/ https://flic.kr/p/mMChHb)

 

The internet is a place where everyone can express their opinions, from “proud 2 b pinoy” comments to opinion columns disguised as Facebook posts.

And in applying for a job, one’s personality matters a lot, including one’s online persona.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago recently filed a Senate Bill prohibiting employers from forcing their employees to provide access to their personal social media accounts.

In passing Santiago’s Senate Bill 2681, the bill aims to safeguard the right to privacy of each person, which should be “inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise, as prescribed by law.”

“Any evidence obtained in violation of this or the preceding section shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding,” she said.

“With many laws providing for the protection of physical property, communication and correspondence, there is a gap in the law with regard to privacy online.”

She further said that there is invasion of privacy when the employers compel their employees to divulge personal online information, such as passwords.

Under the bill, it will be illegal for employers to request access to your social media accounts. If your place of employment tries to weed your Facebook password out of you, defend your right to online privacy.