S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
      ________________________________________________________________________

                                        7077

                                  I N  S E N A T E

                                   April 27, 2012
                                     ___________

      Introduced by Sens. GRISANTI, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed,
        and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor

      AN  ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to protecting the privacy of
        employees' and prospective employees' social media accounts

        THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
      BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   1    Section  1.  The labor law is amended by adding a new section 215-d to
   2  read as follows:
   3    S 215-D. INVASION OF PRIVACY BY AN EMPLOYER  AGAINST  AN  EMPLOYEE  OR
   4  PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE. 1. DEFINITIONS. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
   5    (A) "APPLICANT" MEANS AN APPLICANT FOR EMPLOYMENT.
   6    (B)  "ELECTRONIC  COMMUNICATIONS  DEVICE"  MEANS  ANY DEVICE THAT USES
   7  ELECTRONIC SIGNALS TO CREATE,  TRANSMIT  AND  RECEIVE  INFORMATION,  AND
   8  SHALL  INCLUDE  BUT  NOT  BE LIMITED TO, COMPUTERS, TELEPHONES, PERSONAL
   9  DIGITAL ASSISTANTS AND OTHER SIMILAR DEVICES.
  10    2. (A) AN EMPLOYER, EMPLOYER'S AGENT OR REPRESENTATIVE, OR ITS  DESIG-
  11  NEE  SHALL  NOT REQUIRE ANY EMPLOYEE OR APPLICANT TO DISCLOSE ANY LOG-IN
  12  NAME, PASSWORD OR OTHER  MEANS  FOR  ACCESSING  A  PERSONAL  ACCOUNT  OR
  13  SERVICE THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE.
  14    (B)  AN  EMPLOYER, EMPLOYER'S AGENT OR REPRESENTATIVE, OR ITS DESIGNEE
  15  MAY REQUIRE AN EMPLOYEE TO DISCLOSE ANY LOG-IN NAME, PASSWORD  OR  OTHER
  16  MEANS  FOR  ACCESSING  NON-PERSONAL  ACCOUNTS  OR  SERVICES THAT PROVIDE
  17  ACCESS TO THE EMPLOYER'S INTERNAL COMPUTER OR INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
  18    3. AN EMPLOYER, EMPLOYER'S AGENT OR REPRESENTATIVE,  OR  ITS  DESIGNEE
  19  SHALL NOT:
  20    (A)  TERMINATE,  DISCIPLINE  OR  OTHERWISE  PENALIZE  AN  EMPLOYEE, OR
  21  THREATEN TO TERMINATE, DISCIPLINE OR OTHERWISE PENALIZE AN EMPLOYEE  FOR
  22  THE  EMPLOYEE'S  REFUSAL  TO  DISCLOSE  ANY  INFORMATION IN VIOLATION OF
  23  SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION; OR
  24    (B) FAIL OR REFUSE TO HIRE ANY APPLICANT AS A  RESULT  OF  THE  APPLI-
  25  CANT'S  REFUSAL  TO  PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION IN VIOLATION OF SUBDIVISION
  26  TWO OF THIS SECTION.
  27    4. (A) WHERE A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION IS ALLEGED TO HAVE  OCCURRED,
  28  THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY APPLY IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF

       EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                            [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                 LBD15421-01-2
      S. 7077                             2

   1  NEW YORK FOR AN ORDER ENJOINING OR RESTRAINING THE COMMISSION OR CONTIN-
   2  UANCE  OF  THE  ALLEGED UNLAWFUL ACTS. IN ANY SUCH PROCEEDING, THE COURT
   3  MAY IMPOSE A CIVIL PENALTY IN THE AMOUNT OF THREE  HUNDRED  DOLLARS  FOR
   4  THE  FIRST  VIOLATION  AND  FIVE  HUNDRED  DOLLARS  FOR  EACH SUBSEQUENT
   5  VIOLATION.
   6    (B) IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER PENALTIES OR ACTIONS OTHERWISE APPLICABLE
   7  PURSUANT TO THIS CHAPTER, WHERE A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION  IS  ALLEGED
   8  TO  HAVE  OCCURRED,  AN  AGGRIEVED INDIVIDUAL MAY COMMENCE AN ACTION FOR
   9  EQUITABLE RELIEF AND DAMAGES.
  10    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.