Some employers have started requiring employees and applicants to provide passwords or otherwise full access to their social media accounts due to the increasing popularity of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The Illinois Legislature has recently put a stop to this practice.

Illinois amended the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act on August 1. It now prevents employers from demanding access to employees’ and job applicants’ social media accounts. The addition to the law will go into effect January 1, 2013.

Employers will be prohibited from requesting or requiring passwords or any other related private account information in order to gain access to personal accounts from employees and applicants. Employers are also not permitted to access social media accounts for any reason, including work-related investigations of misconduct, harassment, or any other legitimate business reason. The law has no exceptions.