Privacy vs. the new boss

LITTLE ROCK — Prospective employers typically ask job applicants for references. But in the age of the Internet, some want much more.

In a chilling disregard for privacy rights, some companies are requiring job seekers to turn over their Facebook passwords during the hiring process.

The disturbing practice violates a basic Internet principle: Never disclose your password.

The demand may be perfectly legal, though that’s questionable. It’s a total invasion of privacy that should be prohibited.

Toward that end, some members of Congress have correctly asked the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate whether the practice violates federal laws.

It is not surprising that employers would want to troll the Internet to check out job applicants. And no one should expect postings made in the public realm to be kept completely private.

But requiring access to passwords and other information that is not publicly available should not be a condition of employment.