Yesterday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law a new social media law in Oregon, the first in the nation, that limits employers from requiring employees to have social media accounts for employment, and to require workers to advertise on their personal social media accounts.

The facts behind the bill are interesting. The bill’s primary sponsor’s wife had a friend, a Navy veteran, who returned from service and applied for a job at a sporting goods chain. He applied for the job online, and the company called him and advised that he had left his Facebook account blank on the application. When he advised that he did not have a Facebook account, the company allegedly told him they would not interview him unless he had one.

Oregon already has a social media law on the books that does not allow employers to require employees to divulge their social media passwords so the employer can access the social media accounts. States are following suit, and we anticipate that other states will think Oregon’s new social media law is a good idea and no doubt, we will see other states implementing similar laws in the near future.

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