March 23, 2017
Contact: Katherine Levasseur (802) 828-2245 or klevasseur@leg.state.vt.us
Montpelier, VT - The Vermont House today unanimously passed important legislation designed to provide social media privacy protection measures for Vermont workers.
The bill, H.462, prohibits employers from requiring or requesting that an employee or job applicant share their social media account information. This stipulation applies to the employees’ personal accounts, not accounts that are provided by or used for an employer.
“I'm very pleased the House passed H.462. It provides social media privacy for employees and provides guidance on how to handle a sensitive situation for employers. This bill is a very small, but important, step in bringing Vermont into the 21st century.” Said the lead sponsor of the bill, Representative Matthew Hill of Wolcott.
“This is an important protection for Vermont workers in an increasingly digital age. Personal social media accounts help to link communities and people but there are also privacy rights for employees in the information that they chose to share” said House Speaker Mitzi Johnson. “This bill shows the state’s commitment to ensuring the privacy of Vermont workers as we enter an increasingly digital age with new challenges and protections.”
The bill will now move to the Senate for consideration.
You can view the bill and track its progress here: http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2018/H.462