Thursday, September 27, 2012

Jerry Brown signs two social media privacy laws

Gov. Jerry Brown signed two measures this morning to block California universities and employers from seeking access to applicants' social media accounts. - Sacramento Bee

"The Golden State is pioneering the social media revolution and these laws will protect all Californians from unwarranted invasions of their personal social media accounts," the Democratic governor said in a prepared statement.

Assembly Bill 1844, by Assemblywoman Nora Campos, D-San Jose, prohibits employers from demanding user names or passwords from employees and job applicants.

Senate Bill 1349, by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, prohibits public and private universities from requiring students or prospective students to disclose their user names or passwords.

The legislation comes amid growing questions about the legal and privacy implications of employee and student presences on social media. In a release, Brown's office said SB 1349 "is designed to stop a growing trend of colleges and universities snooping into student social media accounts, particularly those of student athletes."