Surveillance Through Social Media Policy

In some circumstances it may be necessary for council employees, in the course of their duties, to carry out internet surveillance using social media, either by creating covert identities or through the officer’s Service identity. By their nature, actions of this sort are potentially intrusive and may give rise to legal challenges as a potential breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998, “the right to respect for private and family life”.

This policy provides a framework outlining the Council’s processes for authorising and managing internet surveillance via social media and sets the parameters for expected good practice.

The policy is available in PDF format from the 'Related Downloads' section of this page.