When it comes to employees, can companies legally view their personal posts, blogs, tweets and photos? The answer is a resounding “sort of” – it just depends on what you do next.
Recently, a human resources attorney wrote a column about this exact issue.
She concludes that employees should have no expectations of privacy if they post information in a public forum. So if their Facebook pages or Twitter feeds are publicly available, you can use that information to investigate an employee or justify a termination.
On the other hand, if an employee protects their online information from public view, you cannot use it to justify employment decisions.
Of course, if an employee explicitly grants you or your company permission (by adding you as a friend or allowing you to follow them on Twitter), then all info is fair game.