Social Networking Online Protection Act

Summary: Social Networking Online Protection Act This bill prohibits employers from: (1) requiring or requesting that employees or applicants for employment provide their passwords or any other means for accessing their private email accounts or personal online accounts, including social networking websites; or (2) discharging, disciplining, discriminating against, denying employment or promotion to, or threatening to take any such action against employees or applicants who refuse to provide such information, file a complaint or institute a proceeding under this bill, or testify in any such proceeding.  Employers who violate these prohibitions are subject to: (1) civil penalties; (2) the authority of the Department of Labor to bring injunctive actions; and (3) the jurisdiction of U.S. district courts to provide legal or equitable relief including employment, reinstatement, promotion, and payment of lost wages and benefits. The Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 are amended to prohibit certain institutions of higher education and local educational agencies from requesting such password or account information from students or potential students. The bill prohibits denial of admission, suspension, expulsion, and other discipline or discrimination against students who decline to provide such information, file a complaint, institute a proceeding, or testify in any related proceeding.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Social Networking Online Protection 
Act''.

SEC. 2. EMPLOYER ACCESS TO PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING 
              WEBSITES.

    (a) Conduct Prohibited.--It shall be unlawful for any employer--
            (1) to require or request that an employee or applicant for 
        employment provide the employer with a password or any other 
        means for accessing a private email account of the employee or 
        applicant or a personal online account of the employee or 
        applicant, including any social networking website; or
            (2) to discharge, discipline, discriminate against in any 
        manner, or deny employment or promotion to, or threaten to take 
        any such action against, any employee or applicant for 
        employment because--
                    (A) the employee or applicant for employment 
                refuses or declines to provide password or other means 
                for accessing a private email account of the employee 
                or applicant or a personal online account of the 
                employee or applicant, including any social networking 
                website; or
                    (B) such employee or applicant for employment has 
                filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be 
                instituted any proceeding under or related to this Act 
                or has testified or is about to testify in any such 
                proceeding.
    (b) Enforcement.--
            (1) Civil penalties.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), any 
                employer who violates any provision of this Act may be 
                assessed a civil penalty of not more than $10,000.
                    (B) Determination of amount.--In determining the 
                amount of any penalty under paragraph (1), the 
                Secretary of Labor shall take into account the previous 
                record of the person in terms of compliance with this 
                Act and the gravity of the violation.
                    (C) Collection.--Any civil penalty assessed under 
                this subsection shall be collected in the same manner 
                as is required by subsections (b) through (e) of 
                section 503 of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural 
                Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1853) with respect to 
                civil penalties assessed under subsection (a) of such 
                section.
            (2) Injunctive actions by the secretary of labor.--The 
        Secretary of Labor may bring an action under this section to 
        restrain violations of this Act. In any action brought under 
        this section, the district courts of the United States shall 
        have jurisdiction, for cause shown, to issue temporary or 
        permanent restraining orders and injunctions to require 
        compliance with this Act, including such legal or equitable 
        relief incident thereto as may be appropriate, including, 
        employment, reinstatement, promotion, and the payment of lost 
        wages and benefits.

SEC. 3. INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION ACCESS TO PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ON 
              SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES.

    Section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1095(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(30)(A) The institution will not--
                            ``(i) require or request that a student or 
                        potential student provide the institution with 
                        a password or any other means for accessing a 
                        private email account of the student or 
                        potential student or a personal online account 
                        of the student or potential student, including 
                        any social networking website; or
                            ``(ii) discharge, discipline, discriminate 
                        against in any manner, or deny admission to, 
                        suspend, or expel, or threaten to take any such 
                        action against, any student or potential 
                        student because--
                                    ``(I) the student or potential 
                                student refuses or declines to provide 
                                a password or other means for accessing 
                                a private email account of the student 
                                or potential student or a personal 
                                online account of the student or 
                                potential student, including any social 
                                networking website; or
                                    ``(II) such student or potential 
                                student has filed any complaint or 
                                instituted or caused to be instituted 
                                any proceeding under or related to this 
                                paragraph or has testified or is about 
                                to testify in any such proceeding.
                    ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the term 
                `social networking website' has the meaning given such 
                term in section 5(2) of the Social Networking Online 
                Protection Act.''.

SEC. 4. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY ACCESS TO PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL 
              NETWORKING WEBSITES.

    (a) In General.--Subpart 2 of part E of title IX of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 9537. PROHIBITION ON ACCESS TO PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF STUDENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--No local educational agency receiving funds 
under this Act may--
            ``(1) require or request that a student or potential 
        student provide the agency or a school served by the agency 
        with a password or any other means for accessing a private 
        email account of the student or potential student or a personal 
        online account of the student or potential student, including 
        any social networking website; or
            ``(2) discharge, discipline, discriminate against in any 
        manner, or deny admission to, suspend, or expel, or threaten to 
        take any such action against, any student or potential student 
        because--
                    ``(A) the student or potential student refuses or 
                declines to provide a password or other means for 
                accessing a private email account of the student or 
                potential student or a personal online account of the 
                student or potential student, including any social 
                networking website; or
                    ``(B) such student or potential student has filed 
                any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted 
                any proceeding under or related to this paragraph or 
                has testified or is about to testify in any such 
                proceeding.
    ``(b) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the term 
`social networking website' has the meaning given such term in section 
5(2) of the Social Networking Online Protection Act.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 9536, the following new 
item:

``Sec. 9537. Prohibition on access to personal accounts of students.''.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act--
            (1) the term ``employer'' means any person acting directly 
        or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an 
        employee or an applicant for employment; and
            (2) the term ``social networking website'' means any 
        Internet service, platform, or website that provides a user 
        with a distinct account--
                    (A) whereby the user can access such account by way 
                of a distinct user name, password, or other means 
                distinct for that user; and
                    (B) that is primarily intended for the user to 
                upload, store, and manage user-generated personal 
                content on the service, platform, or website.