Facebook might be headed back to court, for not going to court. Some employers have been requesting Facebook passwords before hiring so they can internet stalk their candidates. ACLU Lawyer Catherine Crump explains:
“it’s an invasion of privacy for private employers to insist on looking at people’s private Facebook pages as a condition of employment or consideration in an application process. People are entitled to their private lives. You’d be appalled if your employer insisted on opening up your postal mail to see if there was anything of interest inside. It’s equally out of bounds for an employer to go on a fishing expedition though a person’s private social media account.”
Facebook commented on the issue, saying:
“you should never have to share your password, let anyone access your account, or do anything that might jeopardize the security of your account or violate the privacy of your friends….As a user, you shouldn’t be forced to share your private information and communications just to get a job. And as a friend of a user, you shouldn’t have to worry that your private information or communications will be revealed to someone you don’t know and don’t intend to share with just because that user is looking for a job.”
Although Facebook is clearly against the idea of sharing passwords, they have done nothing legally to protect their users, and that’s where they might get in trouble. But why should they? Because it’s the right thing to do. They have enough money to do it. They don’t have to take everyone’s back, but unleashing hell on a few repeat offenders will send a message to the rest of them. But let’s be real here. That won’t happen. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. See, if doing the right thing were important, then this wouldn’t even be an issue because it wouldn’t be happening.
If multiple friends’ privacy is broken, then they will post less frequently because they will not have trust in their friends’ internet privacy. And you get where it goes from there, right? The network falls apart and someone like Google+ can jump in - which, by the way, I still have faith in. It takes patience. But that’s not what this is about. Why else should Facebook do it? Restoring the trust that has been lost through the countless privacy issues over the years will benefit them.
Employers are not going to stop just because a privacy officer at Facebook told them to. They need to go to court with some of these users. Having access to employers Facebook pages will give them information they could never legally ask for in an interview, or on an application: sexual orientation, relationship status, religious views, political views, who they hang out with, what their private conversations are about, and so forth.
So you’ve probably assumed it. Apple doesn’t trust many people making their interview process as tough as you expect, given that it is one of the largest tech companies with a fierce focus on secrecy.
Now Adam Lashinsky, author of Inside Apple as revealed in a LinkedIn interview that people are “hired into dummy positions where they are not really sure what it is they’re doing”, in a bid to determine their trustworthiness.
It’s pretty sneakily effective way to keep tabs on loose-lipped tech nerds without letting any big secrets go to have them work on bogus iDevices. However, it didn’t stop the iPhone 4 concealed in a replica 3GS case from being left in a bar by software engineer Gary Powell back in April of 2010. That’s when tech site Gizmodo got it’s hands on the phone and revealed all the details. However, Apple didn’t learn from their mistake. Last year an Apple employee left an iPhone 4S in a Los Angeles bar, which was later sold on Craigslist for only $200. However, Apple caught on and traced the device to an LA house which lead to nothing. The resident denied knowledge of it and Apple was so concerned they offered a no-questions-asked money offer.
Starting November 1st, Coca-Cola is temporarily reversing the color of their cans. The white can shown below is part of their new campaign to help protect the arctic habitat of their winter mascot, the polar bear.
The world’s largest beverage company will initially donate $2 million to the campaign. It will then match up to a million dollars that Coke drinkers are expected to donate through text messaging.
The Coca-Cola Foundation has donated more than $451 million in support of community initiatives worldwide. Just this last Tuesday, the company donated more than $1 million USD toward relief efforts in eastern Turkey after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the area Sunday. The very next day they pledged $500,000 to the Atlanta Women’s Foundation to support economic empowerment initiatives impacting Atlanta’s women and girls.
Nicola Kettlitz, president of Coca-Cola Ltd., said “We’ve done this for many years and it’s a part of who we are. We understand that without sustainable communities, we really do not have a business. It cannot just be greenwashing, We need to do it (action to protect the environment) and then maybe say it, but to do it is an important aspect.”
Coke hopes that since the arctic is warming, and two-thirds of all polar bears now live in Canada, that their funds will help scientists to understand what the environment will be like in the future so we aren’t rushing last minute to protect the animals. They also hope the money will help protect the communities affected.
Justin Timberlake’s Music Campaign
No, I don’t mean he’s in it; he’s the target market. And Justin did see it, he even tweeted it. It’s a campaign made by his fans, with the goal of talking him into making new music. Late last year, I had reported that Justin is unable to do two things at the same time, however, he sings on a daily basis.
