Hawaii bill would ban bosses from workers’ personal accounts

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are considering a bill to ban employers from accessing employees’ personal social media accounts.

So far, more than 20 states have banned employers from snooping in employees’ personal accounts. About a dozen others are considering similar bills this year.

If passed, the proposed law would ban Hawaii employers from requiring or requesting employees and job applicants to disclose information about personal social media accounts. It would also prevent employers requiring employees to add them to their contact lists, for instance, as a friend on Facebook.

However, the bill would allow employers to access accounts when investigating workplace problems such as harassment or discrimination.

Some employers say access is necessary to protect businesses’ proprietary information or trade secrets, while advocates say it’s an invasion of personal privacy.