Federal employees who make provocative or partisan social media posts — even anonymously — are being cautioned they could face backlash, according to new guidance from the Treasury Board. Blacklock's Reporter says the directive urges public servants to think twice before publishing anything that could erode confidence in their impartiality.The Guidance For Public Servants On Their Personal Use Of Social Media warns that comments seen as self-serving, vulgar or political, regardless of anonymity or privacy settings, can damage public trust in the Government of Canada.“Ask yourself how this post could be perceived by a reasonable person,” the guidance states. “Will they question whether you are able to perform your duties in a non-partisan and impartial manner?”.Although the Treasury Board did not ban social media use during work hours, it stressed that poor judgment — even behind a pseudonym — can lead to criticism. “While privacy settings and anonymous accounts can seem like effective ways to maintain separation between our personal and professional lives, there are still risks,” the guidance reads.The document notes that screenshots can be made public and anonymous users can often be identified. Even when identities remain hidden, the board said posts can still hurt the public service’s credibility. Disclaimers stating that opinions are personal do little to offset that harm.The directive, which does not specify what prompted the new policy, reminds staff — especially senior officials — to consider how their online presence intersects with their public service role. .Factors such as audience size, relevance to government work, and tone of the content are all flagged for consideration.“As we cannot always predict what will go viral or how our posts might be taken out of context,” it states, “we need to be careful about our online engagement, where our actions are more visible, more enduring, and much more likely to affect public trust in the public service.”Employees are urged to think critically before posting anything that comments on or could be interpreted as supporting or attacking government policies or political parties. “We should be careful when publicly critiquing, positively or negatively, the government of the day or any political party’s policies or positions,” the document says. “Ask yourself whether your post is an opinion that would cause a reasonable person to question your ability to perform your duties in a non-partisan and impartial manner.”
