Public servants warned of dire consequences if they like or share anti-government Facebook posts

Public Servants in Australia may have to be vigilant on anti-government posts by their friends while using their personal social media pages and handles to ensure that they do not like or share them as it is contrary to their code of conduct.

A new regulation by the Australian Public Service commission has guided that all service persons should shun liking or sharing content that is not favorable to government practice as such would suggest they endorse criticism to their employer.

The regulation by the commission admits in the terms of the code of conduct that the implementation shall be seeking to limit the freedom of speech not to the extent of public servants endorsing their own agencies’ criticism.

“What you say in your own time on social media can affect that confidence and the reputation of your agency and of the APS,” the regulation warns public servants.

The regulation points to the use of emojis or facial icons to show disappointment in criticizing information as not adequate excuse to share or like the posts. It cautions that public servants will only be required to like and share content that they explicitly agree with.

The code of conduct is said to be discredited and considered inadmissible the fact that public servants can have private social media accounts, or give disclaimers such as ‘Views herein are my own’.

Social media is known to be unforgiving and never forgets since posts can be shared from screenshots taken by users and the damage likely to emerge from the posts is therefore continuously spread.