by MaryO

Created on: July 08, 2008

One of the eroding rights in this Country is the right to personal privacy. While MySpace, Facebook or any other site is basically public in using these you do open yourself to some degree.

My feeling about employers, agencies, property managers, and credit companies using this type of source to determine a persons credibiltiy for a job, place to live or credit line is absolutely unacceptable, unfair and a very unprofessional means of trying to 'see' what a person is like.

I have a MySpace primarily because it was the first and largest network of it's kind where one could connect with others and in my case, showcase thier artwork. Do I believe my employer, landlord or creditors need to see my paintings to determine who I am? Or what to expect of me? Would I be discriminated against if my paintings are nudes or abstracts? Or perhaps because of some artistic stereotype? Does MySpace have anything at all to do with my ability to preform at work? NO.

We have become so accustomed to privacy violations that we don't even consider the reprecussions any more. That employers have access to your social security number, bithdate, place of birth, age, etc. Is more than enough. Applications for employement can be as much as 13 pages long and more if you have an extended work history. Employers ask for personal and professional refereneces, which they check and verify. Considering the personal information required to obtain work, there is not a justifiable or legitimate reason that an employer need to investigate deeper into ones personal life. It is not a matter of having something to hide. It is a matter of having the right to privacy in our private lives.

There was a time in this country that if you wanted to work you went to an employer asked for a job, shared your experience or willingness to learn. Sometimes you would start work the following day. My dad got a job exactly that way and worked at the same organization for 25 years until he retired. He didnt have a resume, or a credit history, or a MySpace of course, in fact at the time he got the job he was homeless, living in a tent with a wife and three kids. Did his employer question his personal circumstances, or focus on his skills and what he brought to the position. The answer is obvious.

In the current job market, there are psychological examinations, background checks,(including criminal,and sex offender), evictions, credit, marriage and divorce records and more. Does this make for better or more competant employees?

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