Want to work for the city of Bozeman? Fork over all of your online passwords.

No, really. All of them. Facebook, MySpace (if anybody still uses that), Yahoo, Google, any online forums you participate in (like, say, SportsJournalists.com) ... the works.<blockquote>Officials who run the city of Bozeman, Montana -- perhaps setting a new standard for privacy invasion in the name of public safety -- are insisting that job applicants cough up their usernames and passwords for any social networking sites or online forums in which they participate. Reason: background checks.

From a report on Montana's News Station:

The requirement is included on a waiver statement applicants must sign, giving the City permission to conduct an investigation into the person's "background, references, character, past employment, education, credit history, criminal or police records."<blockquote>"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords.</blockquote>Beyond the pale, you say? Not according to Bozeman city attorney Greg Sullivan, who defended the policy after assuring the television station that "the city takes privacy rights very seriously." (Understanding them is another matter.)</blockquote>http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/42819

Of course, handing over those passwords will usually put you in violation of those services' terms of service.

 

With the number of people yearning to work in Bozeman, they can afford to do this.

 

Don't they realize the Unabomber didn't care for modern technology?

 

I hope every applicant to the city of Bozeman tells them to go 'F' themselves.

What would prevent them from taking an applicant's username and password and stealing their identity? They could post on an applicant's Facebook page something that could be slanderous to another person.

 

If they actually used the info, I think they'd be violating some internet hacking laws.

 

Surely someone's going to say, "Well if you've done nothing wrong............"

 

Just give them bogus usernames and passwords. "Heywood Jablome," "Hugh G. Rection," etc etc.

 

My response would be that I do not participate in such activities. How are they going to prove otherwise?

 

Simply typing the person's name into the website's search engine could work wonders.

Is it likely that, even after answering 'No' that they'll search? Probably not.

But the tool is there.

 

I can honestly tell you that my name won't show up on anything like Facebook or MySpace.

 

Oh, not singling you out. I use Facebook and so if you typed my full name into the engine, you will find me. After graduating college, I deleted all my pictures and groups that showed or depicted any use of alcohol.

 

I'm not one to bring politics into every discussion, but...

I've known other areas of the country -- I currently live in one -- that swing highly one way politically and want to make sure it stays that way. So if you're a "fan" of a politician who is in the minority of a state's voting record, you may find yourself out in the cold when it comes to getting a job there.
Even more so if you're not a native.