On August 29, 2013, Gov. Chris Christie signed New Jersey’s social media privacy law, making New Jersey the twelfth state to enact such laws governing employers. (Various states have enacted similar laws governing institutions of higher education.)
Christie’s signature ends an approximately year and a half long legislative process: the bill was first introduced on May 10, 2012. As discussed in prior posts on this blog (New Jersey Assembly Unanimously Passes Revised Social Media Bill, New Jersey Senate Unanimously Passes Revised Social Media Bill), the bill was conditionally vetoed by Christie in May of 2013, then passed again by the Assembly in May and the Senate in August.
New Jersey should be the last state to enact such a law until the various state legislatures begin their next sessions. But with 24 states having proposed – but not enacted – social media laws in 2013, more can be expected in the future.