Personal use of Social Media - Word Document Inter-agency federal communicators network final - approved 11-1-16

1. 10 TIPS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ON THE PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Federal Communicators Network, October 2016
DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ: This “cheat sheet” is meantto help clarify someissues thatfederalemployeesmay notbe
awareof,or thatmay be confusing.Itis notmeantto replace a thorough review of law,policy, and officialguidanceor
to restrict or alter yourrights and responsibilitiesin any way. When in doubt,pleasedo not usethis as a substitutefor
obtaining reliable direction froman officialsource. This document,like all FCN documents,isunofficialin nature.
1. First AmendmentRights:Your personal social mediaprofilesare yourown,and forthe mostpart, the federal
governmentdoesnot intendtocontrol onlineactivitiesthatare purelypersonal (anexample of anexceptionisthe
Hatch Act, whichcontainscertainlimitsonemployeefree speech).Also,the same principlesapplywhetheryour
speechoccursoversocial mediaor inmore traditional ways,e.g.publishingalettertothe editorof a newspaper.
2. Special Restrictions:Findout fromyour agencywhetherthere are anyspecial restrictionsonyoursocial media
activitybeyondthe general rulesthatapplytoall federal employees.Forexample,thismightapplyif youworkfora
lawenforcementagency.
3. If You Are Aware of Misconduct: Reportingfraud,waste andabuse tothe appropriate authoritiesislawful,but
leakingclassifiedorotherwiseconfidential informationoverthe internetisnot.
4. Disclaimer:Whenpeople knowthatyouworkfor the government,theyare prone toassumingthatyouspeakfor
the government,evenwhenyou’re not.So indiscussingyourpersonal views, ithelpstobe upfrontaboutthe fact
that youare not speakinginanofficial capacity. Example:“Thecontentof this communication isentirely my own and
doesnotreflect theopinionsof or endorsementby any federalagency orthe governmentasa whole.”
5. OpinionsAbout Your Agency:You are entitledto discuss,analyzeordisagree withyouragency aboutpublicly
available information.Thatsaid,youragencymayrequire youto tell themif youdoso. Checkyourpublic
affairs/publiccommunicationspolicyformore information,anddonothesitate toaskyour Office of PublicAffairs
and/oryour ethicsofficerforguidance.
6. No “Impersonation”:While youare free todescribe yourinterests,experiencesandideasonunofficialtime, donot
use unofficial timeorpersonal social mediaaccountstoact as an official representativeof youragencywithout
authorization.
7. Political Activity: Regardingpersonal political activity,refertothe Hatch Act.(The textisreadilyavailableonline,
alongwithan extensive setof frequentlyaskedquestions.)
8. No Right to Privacy on WorkDevices:Read andfollow youragency’spoliciesoninformationtechnologyuse.Some
allowyouto use yourwork computertoaccess yourpersonal accountson a limitedbasis.If youdo use yourwork
device,whetherdesktopcomputerormobile phone, toaccesspersonal accounts,understandthatyouractivitymay
be monitored bythe agency.
9. KeepPersonal DevicesPersonal: Don’t use yourpersonal devices oraccounts foragencyactivity,because then itis
subjecttolegal discovery (includingFOIA) inthe eventof litigation.Also,use “smart”passwords (guidance onthese
isreadilyavailableonline),andchange themfrequently.
10. Targeting by ForeignSpies:Be careful whoyou“friend”online.Foreign intelligence agentsare knowntotarget
federal employeesspecifically,foravarietyof reasons.
ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE: InAugust2016, the Federal CommunicatorsNetworkpublishedaresearchpaper
demonstratingthe urgentneedforconsistentinteragency communication standards.This“cheatsheet”isourfirst
attemptat providinginformationof ageneral nature ona federal communicationtopicof interest.Future issueswill
addresstraining,careerladdering,definitionsof commonterms,andmore. To accessthe researchpapervisit
http://www.slideshare.net/FCN-Presentations. Toprovide feedbackorgetinvolved,email
fedcommnetwork@gmail.com.