Schumer enters fray over Facebook passwords

Two U.S. senators from New York and Connecticut will ask the Justice Department to investigate whether employers who require job applicants to hand over confidential passwords to Facebook and other social networking sites are violating federal law.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate's third-ranking Democrat, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Sunday they will ask the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to examine the practice as well.

On Friday, Facebook Inc., the world's biggest social networking site, said news reports indicating some businesses were asking potential employees for passwords to view private posts and pictures as part of the job application process were "alarming." The two lawmakers said the practice could violate federal anti-hacking statutes.

"Employers have no right to ask job applicants for their house keys or to read their diaries. Why should they be able to ask them for their Facebook passwords?" Schumer said in a news release.

Blumenthal said that by requiring job applicants to provide login credentials, employers could gain access to protected information that would be impermissible for them to consider when making hiring decisions. Those include religious affiliation and sexual orientation, which are protected categories under federal law.

Laura Sweeney, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said in an email she had no immediate comment on the lawmakers' request.