Connecticut Social Media Law Affects Household Employers

Connecticut has joined numerous other states with social media privacy protections for employees. This new Connecticut social media law, Public Act No. 15-6, which was signed into law last May and went into effect October 1st, restricts employer access to the personal social media accounts of employees and applicants.

Under this law, all employers – including household employers – may not request or require that an employee or applicant:

1. Disclose any authentication means for accessing a personal online account
2. Authenticate or access a personal online account in the employer’s presence
3. Invite the employer or accept an invitation from the employer to join a group affiliated with any personal online account, or
4. Discharge, discipline, discriminate against, retaliate against, fail or refuse to hire, or otherwise penalize an individual who pursues their rights under this law.

As with other laws of this kind, employers may request access to an employee’s personal social media if they’re conducting an investigation into that employee’s alleged misconduct and they have a reasonable belief that the employee’s personal social media activity is relevant to the investigation. Employers may also monitor, review, access, or block electronic data stored on an electronic communications devise paid for, in whole or on part, by the employer, or traveling through or stored on the employer’s network.

For more information on how GTM helps families stay compliant with wage and labor laws, contact us at (888) 432-7972.