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There needs to be tighter rules to protect everyone's privacy, particularly youngsters who use these sites frequently. As a nation, we are currently undertaking more hours of work than ever before. For many of us, spare time in which we can just be ourselves or be with family and friends has become hard to find. Allowing employers to snoop through personal webpages and then make employment decisions on that basis is an invasion of our private life and unfairly restricts our freedom. After all, you aren't being paid during this time, so why should you be forced to change your own private life to impress the boss?

Delving through a job applicant's Myspace or Facebook gives employers a greater ability to unfairly, and even unlawfully discriminate at ease. Simply expressing your own personal, political or religious beliefs, ethnicity, sexuality or medical conditions could all be possibly held against you. Saying something that's not politically correct may also be held against you too. Discrimination on most of these grounds would be considered unlawful, however since the employer can discreetly access this information online before interviewing, it makes it a whole lot easier.

There would rarely be a need for employers to judge a job applicant or an employee on the basis of their private lives. Whether the applicant is a party animal, tree hugger or book worm, the only issue for the employer should be the candidate's ability to get the job done. Resumes, references, police checks, academic credentials and of course the all important job interview, have long been the most effective way of evaluating the candidate rather than judging their dancing abilities on Youtube.

Something that might shock you is that even if you don't use these sites at all, your privacy and ultimately employment can still be at risk. A family member, a co-worker or a friend may be an avid Facebook user who is eager to beam out all their images and video clips to the rest of the world. That may include that naughty image from last years Christmas party which you would never want your boss to see or even worse the world media.
The Australian media has recently been under fire for rummaging through the Facebook of deceased soldier David Pearce and publishing personal images against the wishes of the family. With cameras and video camcorders all around us, there needs to be tighter control on who has the ability to access and publish this private material.

If you use or plan on using these sites, try and minimize your vulnerability by making your pages viewable by friends only. Avoid publishing personal information, such as your address, date of birth and full name, which can be used in identity fraud. Be aware of stranger danger, by being cautious towards people that neither you nor your friends have ever met before in person, as you never know, it might be your boss.

Work has become increasingly dominant in our lives. But it should never come to the extent that it dictates and interferes with our personal lives. We are so lucky to live in a free country where we can be ourselves without being condemned. Allowing employers to invade our personal lives through these social networking sites and judge us for who we are is sickening and is against all the values we uphold.

Learn more about this author, Matt McCormack.
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