One of the reasons employers (that do) ask for passwords is to see the stuff people are hiding from public view. But honestly, how much stuff is being hidden? People still aren't implementing available security controls on the information they publish; theoretically, there can't be a whole lot of difference between what an employer can glean from a web search and what lies beyond the proverbial password. In truth, there should never have been a need for a 'password protection act'. For the most part, people make it unnecessary.