Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development Volume 28 Issue 3 Volume 28, Spring 2016, Issue 3 Article 2 Too Much Information!: The Need for Stronger Privacy Protection for the Online Activities of Employees and Applicants Ralph Carter Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/jcred Part of the Internet Law Commons, and the Labor and Employment Law Commons This Notes and Comments is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. TOO MUCH INFORMATION!: THE NEED FOR STRONGER PRIVACY PROTECTION FOR THE ONLINE ACTIVITIES OF EMPLOYEES AND APPLICANTS RALPH CARTER* INTRODUCTION Consider the following scenario: You have recently applied for a highly coveted position with a private employer. To make ends meet during the current economic downturn, you have worked in a series of part-time jobs that are decidedly outside of your desired career path. Luckily, you have progressed quickly through several rounds of the interview process and a battery of tests. The company's human resources manager has informed you that the company would like to extend you an offer of employment, subject to the results of the company's standard background investigation. Imagine that as part of that company's background investigation, the human resources manager has requested that you provide the passwords to your personal Gmail account and your social network accounts on Facebook, Myspace, Google+, and LinkedIn.1 You use those accounts daily in your intimate personal interactions with family members, friends and acquaintances.