Abstract
The advent of the social networking website has transformed Internet usage from having a primarily information-seeking to information-sharing purpose. While these websites provide useful avenues by which to reconnect with friends and family or to promote a business or hobby, their positive utility is somewhat burdened by problems they can cause users. In particular, there is growing concern over the problems these websites cause job-seekers and potential employers, who may now look beyond what applicants present in their resumes, references, and interviews. Many now screen applicants based on the information gathered from browsing an applicant’s online personality. Because of the concerns over employers’ use of this technology, some legal scholars have advocated the need for a law regulating such use. In light of the current discourse on this subject, this Comment discusses whether there should be a law, similar to or an expansion of, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, requiring employers to notify applicants if they are denied employment based on information found on their social networking profile. While opposing the contention that the FCRA should be extended to social networking websites, this Comment argues some disclosure is necessary to protect employers and applicants alike.
Recommended Citation
Cara R. Sronce,
The References of the Twenty-First Century: Regulating Employers’ Use of Social Networking Sites as an Applicant Screening Tool,
35
S. Ill. U. L.J.
499
(2011).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol35/iss3/5