I. Personal Use

A state employee’s personal use of any social networking, social media, or web-based site should remain personal in nature and should be used to share personal opinions and other non-work- related information. Absent express consent by a state agency, a state employee should not use his or her personal social networking, social media, or web-based site to conduct state business.

State employees, especially those possessing leadership responsibilities and those choosing to identify themselves as employees of the State, should consider whether statements they publish may be construed as expressing official state or agency positions and whether or not such statements are accurate representations. A state employee should also take appropriate steps to ensure that communications made in an employee’s personal capacity represent that employee’s personal opinion and do not reflect or represent the opinion of the State of Iowa or the department or agency for which the employee works. Depending on the circumstances and to ensure an employee’s personal postings are not wrongfully attributed to the State, an employee may wish to post a disclaimer such as:

The postings on this site are my own opinion and do not reflect or represent the opinions of the State of Iowa or the department/agency for which I work.

For purposes of maintaining and securing information technology and data, state employees are prohibited from using their state e-mail account or username in conjunction with a personal social networking, social media, or web-based site, unless prior authorization is given. Employees are strongly encouraged to avoid using their state password in conjunction with a personal social networking, social media, or web-based site.