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California Legislators Approve Student Social Media Privacy Bill

California Legislators Approve Student Social Media Privacy Bill
8/23/2012
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Suada Kolovic

If you’re a college student, chances are you have a healthy social media presence that includes a Facebook, Twitter and maybe even a blog…or two! And with real-world responsibilities (like getting a job) just around the corner, most students understand the importance of adjusting their privacy settings and keeping prospective employers prying eyes from their personal life. Despite this self-policing, reports have surfaced that employers have asked students to provide their social media names and passwords mid-interview...privacy shmivacy, right? California legislators, however, have put an end to that: The California State Senate on Tuesday approved a bill protecting the privacy of college students who use social media sites.

The author of the bill, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), said he was alarmed by reports of employers and college officials asking for account information to monitor students’ online activity. Instances have included University of California coaches asking student athletes to "friend" them on Facebook to assess their online activity, said UC spokesman Steve Montiel but that would be prohibited under Yee's bill. The lawmaker said students often post personal information (think: religion and sexual orientation) on social networking sites and the information should not be required by employers, coaches or other college officials. "California is set to end this unacceptable invasion of personal privacy," said Yee. Similar legislation has also recently passed in other states.

Protecting a student’s privacy is all well and good but what about the rest of the social media population? Should the bill’s provisions be altered? Let us know what you think.

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