Self-regulation important for social-media operations by law enforcement, experts say

But not all agencies have developed a social-media policy, according to the IACP survey. About 69% of the agencies participating in the survey said they had a social-media policy, and another 14% said they were in the process of creating one.

“This is where—if you don’t have a policy in place, and especially if you aren’t following that policy—you’re going to get jacked up,” Carabin said. “And we’re in a situation now where, not only are you going to get jacked up, but you’re going to jack up the country. We’re all going to be affected by the mandated policy change that’s going to (follow).”

With this in mind, Carabin offered the following advice:

• An agency’s social-media policy should mirror the agency’s policy for field-based work. This becomes particularly sensitive when undertaking covert operations online. Just as authorizations are needed for undercover work in the field, authorizations are also needed for undercover work online. Be mindful of what online information online is publicly available—for instance, a YouTube video—and what isn’t publicly available, such as information behind a privacy control.
• Before undertaking social-media operations, ask these questions: Do you have permission to do this work? Does your agency know what you are doing? Do the people who approved the work understand the privacy, civil-rights and civil-liberty ramifications of the work?