New York Social Media Privacy Protections Go into Effect March 12, 2024
March 5th by Mrianda Curtis @ www.jdspura.com
As we reported at the end of 2023, New York will soon join California, Colorado, Illinois, and a number of other states that protect employees’ and job applicants’ social media privacy. These protections are part of a bill that was signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on September 14, 2023.
Starting March 12, 2024, employers in New York are prohibited from requesting or requiring employees and job applicants to disclose their usernames, passwords, or login information to personal social media and other “personal accounts” as defined by the Act. The new legislation also prohibits employers from requiring employees and job applicants to access their social media accounts in the employers’ presence. The Act also defines “personal account” broadly to include “an account or profile on an electronic medium where users may create, share, and view user-generated content” that “is used by an employee or an applicant exclusively for personal purposes.”