A Michigan House committee has approved legislation that would bar employers and universities from asking prospective employees or students for access to their social media and personal email accounts.House Bill 5523 would prohibit employers from disciplining or discriminating against candidates who refuse to give up the usernames and passwords to their Facebook, Twitter or email accounts.
The Detroit News reports the House Energy and Technology Committee unanimously passed the bill on Tuesday. It now moves on to the full House for consideration.
The legislation makes it a misdemeanor to violate the proposed Social Network Account Privacy Act.
The bill was inspired by published reports from across the U.S. of employers demanding Facebook passwords from job candidates during interviews.
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Michigan Bill on Job Seekers' Social Media Privacy
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