Reports of companies asking job applicants for theirlogins and passwords to social networking sites like Facebookelicited a firestorm of criticism recently, prompting two U.S.senators to call for a government investigation, and legislators inseveral states to propose making the practice illegal.

The uproar started with an Associated Press article quoting jobcandidates who were asked to provide their logins and passwords forFacebook or other social networking sites by potential employers.The article cited several employers that ask for such information,including a Montana police department, which also asks for accessto job candidates' e-mail accounts. In response, Sens. RalphBlumenthal (D-Conn.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sent letters tothe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department ofJustice asking them to investigate the legality of suchrequests.

But data from the Society of Human Resource Managers suggestthat the practice is not widespread. In a 2011 survey of 541 SHRMmembers, just 18% said they use social networking sites as a toolfor screening job candidates, while another 11% said they plan touse such sites in the future.