I don’t really remember life without a computer.

By any estimate, I have been online since 1993. Seriously, I learned to type before I learned how to ride a bike. Similarly, a generation is fast coming of age that won’t be able to remember a time without social networking.

Social networking sites have ingrained themselves so well into every facet of everyday life, it’s shocking to realize that Facebook launched a mere eight years ago, gaining the majority of its popularity between 2006 and 2007.

As I look to the near future, I realize the next few months to a few years may largely be spent at job interviews attempting to impress potential employers. This means I must be conscious of the impact my social networking profiles may have on my employability. Although I realize the importance of a good, professional web presence, recent developments in the job market not only have me worried, but fairly angry.

Recently, The Associated Press reported that some employers request potential employees to provide access to their Facebook profiles during the interview process.

Touted as a means to fully understand the type of person they are considering hiring, employers have reportedly sifted through the photos, wall posts and private messages found on potential employees’ Facebook accounts. Some potential employees have refused and withdrawn applications, while others, typically those who need work in order to support their families, were forced to put aside their principles and allowed their interviewer to access their profiles.

This practice is not only appalling, but tantamount to allowing a stranger to enter your home, walk to your bedroom and sniff your underwear. Some may argue that in this digital world, any personal information posted to the Internet is fair game. If that were the case, then why does Facebook allow its users to set fairly specific privacy settings?

My personal Facebook account is not only private, but unsearchable as well. No one can find me online unless I allow them to do so.

Facebook has since issued a statement admonishing employers who utilize this practice, stating that sharing or asking for passwords to Facebook profiles violates the website’s user agreement and employers who continue to request them may face legal action.

Similarly, states like Illinois and Maryland are taking steps to ban this wholly invasive and unnecessary part of the interview process. I can only commend lawmakers for their timely action in protecting citizens’ privacy.

While we all need to be conscientious of what we post to our Facebook profiles and how public we choose to make them, employers need to be held accountable for shady interview practices. Simply because the economy is in the toilet and people are desperate for work doesn’t give so-called job creators the right to go snooping around where they don’t belong.