WASHINGTON — Rep. Ed Perlmutter pushed again Thursday to prohibit employers from accessing Facebook passwords to vet potential employees — but his measure failed within an hour of its introduction.
The Jefferson County Democrat blamed House Republicans, who voted almost entirely party line, against his amendment, which was part of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.
“People have an expectation of privacy when using social media like Facebook and Twitter. They have an expectation that their right to free speech and religion will be respected when they use social media outlets,” Perlmutter said, in a statement. “No American should have to provide their confidential personal passwords as a condition of employment.”
Perlmutter voted with a bipartisan majority to pass the cyber and security act — even though his amendment failed.
Exactly a year ago, Perlmutter introduced a similar measure, which also failed.