Govt Sets Social Media Guidelines for Officials

The Jharkhand government's personnel and administrative department issued guidelines for state officials regarding the use of social media on Tuesday, officials familiar with the matter said.

- Raj Kumar

RANCHI:

The guidelines, a copy accessed by Hindustan Times, restricted them from sharing posts that could be deemed objectionable, discriminatory, or politically biased. Additionally, the guidelines prohibited officials from expressing opinions or engaging in activities on social media that support political, anti-secular, or communal causes.

The guidelines categorized the directives under several heads, including 'professional conduct', 'ethical standards', 'misuse of post', 'confidentiality', 'political activity', 'official and personal accounts', and 'miscellaneous'.

The section on 'professional conduct' stated that government servants must adhere to the Government Servants' Conduct Code while sharing views on social media. They were directed "to maintain integrity, observe civility, and avoid posts that could be seen as objectionable, discriminatory, or politically inclined".