Potential employers are fighting back though and finding loopholes. Matwyshyn says, for example, individuals may create multiple social media identities, or restrict what information is shared publicly on the social media profiles. If they give up their username and password though, that control can be lost. Overall, Matwyshyn says employers using social media to track and potentially vet candidates is a concerning practice.

"In the past in real space, we've been able to carve out different identities for different contexts," she says. "In this online realm, when those different identities are all blended together and employers usurp the access to those identities, it can be an alarming trend for individuals."

Network World staff writer Brandon Butler covers cloud computing and social media. He can be reached at BButler@nww.com and found on Twitter at @BButlerNWW.

in Network World's LANs & Routers section.