Employee Social Media Privacy

RI Employee Social Media Privacy Act

Employees

Bars employers from requiring or asking employees and job applicants for passwords to personal social media accounts, from making them log in while the employer watches, from forcing them to add the employer as a contact or change privacy settings, and from punishing or refusing to hire anyone who says no.

Where: Rhode Island
Citation: R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 28-56-1 to 28-56-6
Status: In force
Enforced by: Courts via employee or applicant civil actions
People can sue: Yes
Penalties: A prevailing employee or applicant may obtain declaratory relief, damages, reasonable attorney's fees and costs, and injunctive relief (§ 28-56-6).
Applies to: Employers in Rhode Island of any size, including the state and political subdivisions, and persons acting in an employer's interest
Protects employees and job applicants; excludes employer-provided accounts, publicly available information, and supervision duties of regulated financial, insurance and securities firms

Practices it requires

Do not require, coerce or request an employee or applicant to disclose a password or other access to a personal social media account, or to access the account in the employer's presence.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-56-2(1)-(2)
Do not require or coerce disclosure of personal social media account information, except as reasonably relevant to an investigation of employee misconduct or workplace legal violations and only to the extent necessary.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-56-2(3)
Do not compel an employee or applicant to add anyone to their personal social media contacts or to change settings affecting third-party visibility.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-56-3
Do not discharge, discipline, threaten or refuse to hire anyone for refusing these requests.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-56-4

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.

Unverified: Effective date of P.L. 2014, chs. 188 and 207 not confirmed.

Research reference, not legal advice.