Effective July 1, 2015, Virginia has a new law restricting employers from compelling current and prospective employees to provide certain social media information. New Va. Code § 40.1-28.7:5 prohibits an employer from requiring a current or prospective employee to disclose the username and password to his/her social media account.
The measure also prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to add an employee, a supervisor, or an administrator to the list or contacts associated with the employee’s social media account. Employers may not retaliate against employees or refuse to hire applicants for exercising their rights under this new law.A link to the full text of the new statute as signed by the Governor on March 23 is found here.
