The California State Senate voted unanimously last week in favor of a resolution designed to ban all California universities from asking for access to students’ social media accounts.
Senate Bill 1349 is designed to allow students to maintain their privacy, the bill’s author Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) said on his website.
SB 1349’s text defines social media accounts as blogs, text messages, emails and more.
According to the bill’s text, SB 1349 will also prevent universities from threatening students with punishment if they choose not to relinquish their social media information.
It remains unclear how many California universities actively seek students’ or employees’ social media information.
“We are not aware of any [Cal State Universities] advocating this,” CSU spokesman Erik Fallis said. “Nor has the chancellor’s office ever advocated monitoring social media accounts.”
According to Yee’s website, the bill will also help the families of people whose accounts have already been accessed. Yee said that personal family information might be present in a requested social media account.
For some students, like sophomore mathematics major Ranil Weerackoon, this bill is seen as a step in the right direction.
“I think they finally got it right,” Weerackoon said, “because university staff or employers should not have the right to log onto your personal accounts.”
Yee is also working on Assembly Bill 1844, which is designed to prevent California universities from asking job applicants for social media account usernames and passwords.
Senior computer engineering major Renan Alencar said SB 1349 has a positive impact on students.
“Social networks such as Facebook and Google+ are tools that people use to share … intimacy with friends,” Alencar said. “I believe [the act of accessing accounts] hurts … privacy.”
SB 1349 is currently on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, awaiting a signature. Brown will have until September 30 to sign or veto the bill.