Title: You posted what on Facebook? | Article | The United States Army
Headings: You posted what on Facebook?
You posted what on Facebook?
Content: Soldiers and government employees need to know the rules that apply to such public statements, both on the Internet and other places. In an example of how social media can cause trouble for military personnel, a Marine was recently discharged from the Corps because he posted critical and derogatory comments about the president on Facebook. The site failed to indicate that the views being expressed were not the views of the Marine Corps or the Department of Defense. He had previously been warned by the Marine Corps that such sites were a violation of military policy, but he did not heed the warning. Social media guidelines
DOD has included guidelines for using social media related to political activities and issues in the "Public Affairs Guidance for Political Campaigns and Elections." A link to the full document is at the end of this article. Here are highlights of guidance offered by the DOD regarding political activity on social media: Active-duty service members may generally express personal views on public issues or political candidates via social media or personal blogs, much like writing a letter to a newspaper. If the social media page or posts identifies the person as an active-duty service member, then the page or post should clearly and prominently state that the views expressed do not represent the DOD, or their branch of service. Active-duty members may become "friends" or "like" a Facebook page, or "follow" the Twitter account of a political party or partisan candidates.