CISF issues new social media usage guidelines for staff

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has released a set of social media usage guidelines for its nearly 1.62 lakh personnel directing them to disclose their user identification on all platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to the organisation, an official order stated.

The guidelines issued on July 31 said violators and defaulters of these rules by the CISF personnel will face "strict legal and disciplinary action".

The guidelines have been published considering the "threat posed" by these online platforms to "national security and general discipline of the force", the order issued by the CISF headquarters said.

The major five highlights of the new social media usage policy said,

1. Personnel to disclose their user IDs of all social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube being used by them to the department through respective units and formations.
2. Incase of any change in user ID or creation of a new one, they must inform it to the department
3. The CISF personnel should not use anonymous or pseudonymous user IDs.
4. The personnel should not use these online platforms to criticise the policies of the government on any matter.
5. Social media platforms should not be used as a tool to by-pass the chain of command and the proper channel to air their grievances.

The CISF is the national civil aviation security force guarding 63 airports of the country at present along with critical assets in the aerospace and nuclear domain apart from various government ministries and buildings.