Which is more arguable?: Right to Privacy Online?

[Genoveva Samala]

Hi everyone, well I'm doing a research paper on the topic about the use of checking potential employees' social networking sites (i.e. myspace, facebook, twitter) and using them to determine if a potential employee is capable of being hired.

My question is, which is more arguable?

The right to have privacy from potential employers
or
That it shouldn't matter if employers look up their potential employee's social networking sites to determine whether or not a person can be hired.

[dreaminducedhaze]

I don't personally feel it's within an employer's rights to (essentially) spy on potential candidates. Having said that, if someone's too stupid to lock down their MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, whatever... then they're asking to have it used against them (especially if their behavior is shameful).

[shutuppauface]

Anything posted in a public forum is fair game. If there's something online posted by the applicant that contradicts the resume/experience/impression they gave the potential employer, it would be irresponsible of them not to check (and possibly hold legal liability for the company, if they should have known).
A thorough background check is the right/responsibility of the hirer, and such a search definitely falls within those lines.