Tennessee’s New Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014

Do you ever worry that what you say, or post, online might haunt you at work? Recently some employers have requested that new, or even current, employees divulge which online community to which they belong and provide login information and passwords. Can they do that?
Tennessee recently passed the Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014 (Online Privacy Act) which will prohibit employers from requiring an employee or applicant to give the employer access to the employee or applicant’s personal social media account. This law will go into effect in January 2015.
The Online Privacy Act prohibits an employer from:
• Requesting or requiring an employee or applicant to disclose a password that allows access to a personal internet account;
• Compelling an employee or applicant to add the employer or an employment agency to his or her list of contacts associated with a personal internet account;
• Compelling an employee or applicant to access a personal internet account in the presence of the employer in a manner that enables the employer to observe the contents of the personal internet account; or • Discharging, failing to hire, or taking adverse action or penalizing an employee or applicant because of a refusal to disclose the password or comply with a request for one of the above prohibited actions.
There are, of course, some exceptions. Among other exceptions, an employer is allowed to:
• Discipline or discharge an employee for transferring the employer’s proprietary or confidential information or financial data to the employee’s personal internet account.
• Conduct an investigation or require an employee to cooperate in an investigation if there is specific information on the employee’s personal internet account regarding compliance with applicable laws or prohibitions against work related employee misconduct, or the employer has specific information about an unauthorized transfer of the employer’s proprietary information, confidential information or financial data to the employee’s personal internet account.
• View, access or use information about an employee or applicant that is available in the public domain.
• Conduct an investigation or require an employee to cooperate in an investigation regarding compliance with applicable law or prohibitions against work related employee misconduct, or an investigation about the unauthorized transfer of the employer’s proprietary information, confidential information or financial data to the employee’s personal internet account.
Individuals whose rights are violated under this law may sue the employer and recover up to $1,000.00 in damages for each violation, plus reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.

It is still advisable to use common sense when utilizing social media. Set your privacy setting to private and scrutinize your “friends.” You won’t want to be online friends with your boss when you start bashing the organization. Likewise, it’s good practice to not use the employer’s resources, such as computers or hand-held devices solely owned by the employer to write your blog or post online. If you have questions about Tennessee Employment Law gives us a call.