Illinois Enacts Law Barring Employers From Employees’ Social Networking Pages

CHICAGO—Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed legislation Aug. 1 making his state the second in the nation to bar employers from demanding user names or passwords linked to social networking websites from employees and prospective employees.

Quinn signed H.B. 3782, which amends the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. The new law (Pub. Act 97-0875) affirms employees’ and job applicants’ right to privacy in the workplace with respect to networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Maryland is the only other state so far to create such prohibitions, but the issue is gaining momentum in at least 10 ...