Rep. Bishoff Proposes Protections for Students & Schools on Social Media

State Reps. Heather Bishoff (D-Blacklick) and Robert Hackett (R-London) on Thursday introduced a bipartisan measure to clarify social media privacy laws for students, school employees and school districts. 

“Technology has changed every aspect of our lives, and the legislature should address the fact that some of our laws do not provide adequate protections for our schools and students,” said Rep. Bishoff. “If someone is looking for a job, they should be able to take comfort knowing that their personal life will stay private. And employers and educational systems in Ohio should have a right to recourse when an employee shares intellectual property or financial information on social media.”

The bill would make it illegal for an employer or educational institution to require job candidates to provide log-in information for their social media accounts. Schools would have full access to what they can view publically for an applicant, but will not be able to log-in to personal accounts and view what applicants have marked private. The bill also provides an avenue for recourse if school employees or students share intellectual property online.

The bill will soon receive a number and be referred to a standing House committee for further consideration.