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Guidelines For FAA Employees - Social Media

Discussion in 'FAA - Federal Aviation Administration' started by Baker, Mar 22, 2015.

  1. Baker

    Baker New Member

    Rules & Guidelines for FAA Employees Using Social Media

    Employees are encouraged to use social media responsibly in support of FAA's mission. This includes enhancing communication with the public and sharing information about DOT and FAA activities and programs.

    The DOT has established a Social Media Policy ("Web-based Interactive Technologies Policy") for employees to follow when using social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, YouTube, etc.).

    FAA Employees must follow the (PDF) and adhere to theand , whether their social media activities are work related for official business or personal in nature.

    Employees who wish to comment on the FAA Facebook Page should familiarize themselves with the .

    Permitted Uses and Limitations

    In order for you to use social media at work, it must be part of your job function. This might include using IdeaHub, internal blogs, or wikis for collaboration among agency project teams; or for professional development purposes (e.g., using external sites to engage with other professionals in a community of practice).

    There are very limited times you may use social media for personal reasons at work. These include times when you are on break or are having lunch and want to check your personal Twitter feed or log on to Facebook. If you use social media for personal reasons, it should never interfere with your work responsibilities.

    When using government property, employees should be mindful that excessive and/or inappropriate personal use of social media during work hours may result in disciplinary action, up to and including removal from Federal Service.

    Mentioning FAA in an Official Capacity

    Employees are not authorized to act as official government representatives without permission from the Office of Communications.

    Mentioning FAA in Personal Remarks

    Your use of social media is subject to First Amendment protections. However, if your personal views on a subject may be attributed to FAA's official position, include a disclaimer that says: "The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of FAA."

    Employees with public-facing roles and responsibilities must consider whether personal thoughts published online, even in personal venues, may be misconstrued as expressing FAA policy.

    Disclosing Your FAA Position

    Be careful if you choose to reference your formal FAA position when using social media in a non-work capacity, since your opinion may be mistakenly construed as FAA's official position on an issue. If your personal views on a subject may be attributed to FAA's official position, include a disclaimer that says: "The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of FAA."

    Comply with Existing FAA Rules of Conduct

    When using social media, you are bound by the same conduct and ethical rules that apply to offline conduct, including the .

    Remember that your use of social media while at work must be in compliance with all relevant FAA policies, including but not limited to: privacy and confidentiality policies, harassment and discrimination policies, conflict of interest statutes, the Hatch Act, and other applicable mandates, such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the FAA IT Security Policy, and the Federal Records Act. For additional information on Acts and Policies affecting the use of social media, refer to Section 33.2 ("Background") of the (PDF) and the .

    Protect Sensitive Information

    Respect copyright, fair use, and financial disclosure laws. Always protect sensitive information and personally identifiable information. Do not disclose internal conversations unless you have received permission from management.

    There are security risks when using collaborative and social networking technologies, both at work and at home. Make sure you are informed and prepared in order to minimize the risk of potential exposure of sensitive information.

    Monitor Your Social Profile and Presence

    If you identify yourself as an FAA employee on a social network or have a public-facing position for which your FAA association is known to the general public, make sure your profile and related content are consistent with how you wish to present yourself as an FAA professional.

    Assume that nothing in your profile or related content is private, and that there is a permanent record of what you post online. To fully understand how to conduct yourself when using social media, read and familiarize yourself with "Appendix A: Employee Conduct Policy" within the (PDF).


     

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