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Is it legal to make being "friends" on Facebook a condition of employment? - Printable Version

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Is it legal to make being "friends" on Facebook a condition of employment? - Joe - 11-10-2012 12:40 AM

I have a good friend who was recently told by her boss, "Being friends on Facebook is a condition of your employment."

The situation's complicated by the fact that she works for her father; but he's essentially using this excuse to "stalk" her activities on Facebook—who she talks to, who her friends are, and so on.

I'm wondering if anyone here with a labor law background can provide some insight. Is it legal to make this a condition of employment? My friend is working out of Georgia, and her employment is at-will.


- rtfm - 11-10-2012 12:48 AM

Perfectly legal. Unethical, and pretty darn nasty, but legal.

She's probably better off working for someone other than her father, if that's the way he is.


- narrowfan615 - 11-10-2012 12:48 AM

It's not illegal, simply odd. She could however report him to the EEOC and make a complaint of a hostile work environment. They do investigate that sort of thing. The fact that it is her father, I'm sure would not be a huge factor, but they would surely take it under advisement. It's a gamble whether or not any action would ever take place. In right to work states, you can fire anybody for any reason, so all in all, if she does make a formal complaint with the EEOC, he will more than likely fire her.

Sad