Home Office staff told not to tweet about Trump
Staff and contracted workers at the Home Office were warned not to use Twitter to publish or republish negative messages about US President Donald Trump in a recent email.
The email, as reported by IT news site The Register, was sent to the Home Office’s Digital, Data and Technology division last week, and said that “a couple of known personal Twitter accounts” of staff members were “not compliant”.
It said the accounts had profiles stating the owner does work for the Home Office, or were posting about Home Office work, while also “tweeting or retweeting” negative posts about subjects such as Trump.
“We need to be careful here and ensure all our staff are following this guidance which reflects the Civil Service Code,” the email reportedly said.
The email was an apparent reminder to Home Office staff of the department’s recently updated social media guidance, which had been tightened.
Under the new guidance, all staff - including temporary staff and contractors - should refrain from claiming they work for the Home Office in their personal accounts.
They had also been instructed not to comment on issues that could be deemed politically controversial, including any official government position, as well as refraining from offering any personal opinions about the department or the government.