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NYC Officials Banned from Using Gov’t Owned Social Media for Political Gain 

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The City Conflicts of Interest Board has warned local NYC lawmakers not to use social media accounts for political purposes

In a landmark ruling issued on the 23rd of February, the City’s conflicts of interest board have made a statement that elected officials and their staff are prohibited from using official, government-owned social media platforms for political purposes. Politicians are not allowed to announce endorsements or post campaign events. 

According to the Daily News, the committee took the initiative after Mayor De Blasio posted a video promoting him to several social media channels. 

While elected officials are allowed to hold separate Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram accounts, they are not allowed to post anything during work hours or using government phones or computers. Politicians will not be allowed to post anything during times while they are one duty or are performing civil service. 

The law also has a provision that details that White House staffers are also forbidden to post material on behalf of their bosses on their personal profiles in addition to the ban on official websites. Accordingly, government officials are forbidden from having any of their staff manage their accounts for them at any time, as they would have to post promotional material during working hours. 

Officials are also forbidden from posting material on their personal accounts implying that their views are in any way mandated by the government. The ban is set to officially be in effect at the beginning of July when a new code of conduct for State employees is set to be issued. The new code of conduct will also feature a ban on the right of State employees to allocate state resources to further business and other forms of financial gain. 

The only exception to the use of social media is if it will assist State employees in completing assignments directly related to their work on the job. The ban will be in effect on the use of state equipment “unless specifically required by the agency to perform a job function, you may not use social media, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, while on duty or through the use of State resources or equipment.” 

The new code also holds State officials accountable for irresponsible and corrupt forms of job hopping. For example, a State official is not allowed to award government contracts to companies upon leaving their State posts and then take a job at the same company the contract was awarded to. 

However, under the new law, accepting gifts from companies that the State contracts with is entirely acceptable and is the established custom when the State awards its contracts to third parties. 

By: Kristina Stukalenko 

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