The navy social media handbook i WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A
ii The navy social media handbook The navy social media handbook iii WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

Navy Office of Information

www.navy.mil/socialmedia

navysocialmedia@navy.mil

703-614-9154

U.S. Navy Social Media Handbook

for Navy leaders, communicators, Sailors, families, ombudsmen and civilians

August 2018

This handbook is an update of the January 2018 handbook.

It reflects a change in the link to report tips to NCIS.

No other changes were made.
iv The navy social media handbook Introduction The navy social media handbook v WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

INTRODUCTION

Social media continues to revolutionize our lives, from the way we communicate and interact 

with the world to the content we see and the news we read. As a result, the way people 

get information has drastically changed, and the desire to have real-time conversations 

with individuals, organizations and government entities has increased. This presents 

a tremendous opportunity for everyone, from Sailors and families to Navy leaders and 

ombudsmen, to more effectively communicate with one another and to share the Navy story 

more broadly. 

The proper and effective use of social media presents unequaled opportunities for you to 

share our Navy’s story in an authentic, transparent and rapid manner while building richer, 

more substantive relationships with people you may not have reached through traditional 

communication channels. 

At the same time, the open, global nature of social media creates new challenges, operational 

and cybersecurity considerations as well as concerns regarding online conduct. New decisions 

on which platforms are best to use ensure the most relevant information is conveyed are 

being deliberate in real-time as platforms rapidly adapt, age-out or emerge. This handbook’s 

sections are tailored to the unique audience it’s serving: Navy leaders, communicators, 

Sailors, families, ombudsmen and civilians.

Since social media is constantly evolving, we’ve included only enduring information that will 

remain relevant. We encourage you to frequently visit http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia for 

the latest policy, guidelines, best practices, standard operating procedures, training and other 

resources.

If you have questions or want to share feedback, contact the Navy Office of Information at 

703-614-9154 or navysocialmedia@navy.mil. 
vi The navy social media handbook Table of Contents The navy social media handbook vii WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

Contents

LEADERS 2

Overview of Today’s Online Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Unofficial (Personal) Use of Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Setting the Standard for Online Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Reporting Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Operations Security (OPSEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Endorsements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Impersonators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

NAVY COMMUNICATORS 6

Overview of Today’s Online Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Official Use of Social Media for Navy Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Deciding if Social Media is Right for a Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Strategy Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Content Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Crisis Communication: Casualties and Adverse Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Account Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Operations Security (OPSEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Politics and Endorsements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Online Advertising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Online Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Impersonators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

SAILORS 20

Online Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Follow the UCMJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Reporting Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Operations Security (OPSEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Adverse Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Endorsements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

FAMILIES 23

Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Operations Security (OPSEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Adverse Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

OMBUDSMEN 25

Overview of Today’s Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Best Practices to Support Command’s Official Social Media Presence(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Operations Security (OPSEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Adverse Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Private Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY CIVILIANS � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 28

Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Operations Security (OPSEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Online Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

APPENDIX 30

Online Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Joining Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Setting Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The UCMJ and Navy Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Behaviors with Legal Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Reporting Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Online Safety and Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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LEADERS

The Navy has an obligation to provide timely and accurate information to the public, keep our Sailors and 

Department of the Navy civilians as well as their families informed, and build relationships with our communities. 

As a Navy leader, you are a crucial part of those communication efforts. 

Social media presents unequaled opportunities for you to share the Navy story in an authentic, transparent and 

rapid manner while building richer, more substantive relationships with people you may not have reached through 

traditional communication channels. It is important to remember that the effective use of social media is only part 

of a command’s public affairs program. Navy leaders need to work with their public affairs team to decide whether 

social media is appropriate for their command; not every command needs to use social media. Conversations about 

the Navy will still take place on social media; however, they will not include the Navy’s perspective.

Overview of Today’s Online Landscape

Social media usage is nearly universal among younger adults and is quickly growing among people over age 50. 

People use it to consume news, make or strengthen connections, and engage in discussions and activism related 

to personal interests. There are many different social media platforms, each with distinct use cases. Navy leaders 

need to work with their public affairs team to focus their efforts on a social media platform that aligns with the 

command’s communications objectives and that its targeted audiences use regularly.

According to a study conducted in 2016 by Pew Research Center, the percentage of adults who use at least one 

social media site is as follows: 82 percent of 18-29 year olds, 77 percent of 30-49 year olds, 65 percent of 50-

64 year olds, and 35 percent of people age 65 and above. In total, nearly 70 percent of adults use social media. 

Specifically, 68 percent use Facebook, 25 percent use Instagram and 21 percent use Twitter. Of the 68 percent 

of adults using Facebook, over 75 percent go onto the platform every day. Fewer users reported logging onto 

Instagram (51 percent) and Twitter (42 percent) daily.

The majority of Facebook users (66 percent) say they mostly friend or follow people they know personally on 

Facebook. They don’t necessarily log onto it for news; 62 percent of users say they see it on Facebook while doing 

other things. Conversely, 54 percent of Twitter users say they’re looking for news on Twitter. Only 15 percent of 

Twitter users reported that they normally follow people they know personally, whereas 48 percent say they mostly 

follow people they don’t know personally. 

Unofficial (Personal) Use of Social Media

Unofficial internet posts are posts published on any internet site by a Sailor or a Department of the Navy civilian in 

an unofficial, personal capacity that include content about and/or related to the Navy or Sailors.

The term “posts” includes, but is not limited to, personal comments, blogs, photographs, videos and graphics. The 

term “internet sites” includes, but is not limited to, social networking platforms, messaging apps, photo- and videosharing apps and sites, blogs, forums and websites with comment sections.

If you are expressing a personal opinion of any kind, it is your responsibility to make clear that you are not speaking 

for the Navy and that the stance is your own and not representative of the views of the Navy.

!

This handbook will teach you the best practices that you should 

follow while communicating about the Navy on social media.

Behaviors with legal consequences include:

• Child exploitation/Child sexual exploitation

• Computer misuse (“hacking”)

• Cyber stalking

• Electronic harassment

• Electronic threats

• Obscenity

Consult your command’s JAG for legal counsel.

Setting the Standard for Online Conduct

As a Navy leader, you must lead by example and 

show your Sailors and Navy civilians that improper 

online behavior is not tolerated and must be reported 

if experienced or witnessed. When it comes to your 

position as command leadership, your conduct online 

should be no different than your conduct offline and you 

should hold your Sailors and civilians to that 

same standard.

If evidence of a violation of command policy, Uniform 

Code of Military Justice or civil law by one of your Sailors 

or Navy civilians comes to your attention from social 

media, then you can act on it just as if it were witnessed 

in any other public location. Additionally, pursuant to 

Navy regulations, you have an affirmative obligation 

to act upon offenses under the UCMJ which come 

under your observation. This adds an ethical wrinkle 

to friending or following your subordinates; the key is 

for you to maintain the same relationship with them at 

work as you do online and to be clear about that.

Sailors using social media are subject to the UCMJ 

and Navy Regulations at all times, even when off 

duty. Commenting, posting or linking to material that 

violates the UCMJ or Navy Regulations may result 

in administrative or disciplinary action, to include 

administrative separation, and may subject Navy 

civilians to appropriate disciplinary action.

Punitive action may include Articles 88, 89, 91, 92, 

120b, 120c, 133 or 134 (General Article provisions,

Contempt, Disrespect, Insubordination, Indecent 

Language, Communicating a threat, Solicitation to

commit another Offense, and Child Pornography 

offenses), as well as other articles, including Navy 

Regulations Article 1168, nonconsensual distribution or 

broadcast of an intimate image.
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Reporting Incidents

Any member of the Navy community who experiences or witnesses incidents of improper online 

behavior should promptly report it to their chain of command via the Command Managed Equal 

Opportunity manager or Fleet and Family Support office. Additional avenues for reporting include Equal 

Employment Opportunity offices, the Inspector General, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 

offices and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. 

NCIS encourages anyone with knowledge of criminal activity to report it to their local NCIS field office 

directly or via web or smartphone app.

Specific instructions are available at 

http://www.ncis.navy.mil/pages/NCISTips.aspx.

Refer to the handbook’s appendix for additional information.

Operations Security (OPSEC)

One of the best features of social media 

platforms is the ability to connect people 

from across the world in spontaneous and 

interactive ways. Like most things that we do 

as a Navy, social media can present risks and 

challenges such as OPSEC, but they can be 

mitigated. Embrace the risks and challenges by 

reinforcing OPSEC rules, which are universal 

and should be maintained online just as they 

are offline. Make sure your Sailors and Navy 

civilians as well as their families know that if 

they wouldn’t say it, write it or type it, they 

shouldn’t post it on the internet. 

OPSEC violations commonly occur when personnel 

share information with people they do not know well 

or if their social media accounts have loose privacy 

settings. As a Navy leader, carefully consider the level 

of detail used when posting information anywhere 

on the internet. Reinforce OPSEC best practices 

such as limiting the information that your Sailors, 

Navy civilians and families post about themselves, 

including names, addresses, birth dates, birthplace, 

local towns, schools, etc. Work with your public affairs 

team to ensure best practices and standard operating 

procedures, addressed in this handbook’s section for 

Navy communicators, are implemented.

Politics

Sailors may generally express their personal views about public issues and political candidates on internet 

sites, including liking or following accounts of a political party or partisan candidate, campaign, group or cause. 

If the site explicitly or indirectly identifies Sailors as on active duty (e.g., a title on LinkedIn or a Facebook profile 

photo), then the content needs to clearly and prominently state that the views expressed are their own and 

not those of the U.S. Navy or Department of Defense. 

Sailors may not engage in any partisan political activity – such as posting direct links to a political party, 

campaign, group or cause on social media, which is considered equivalent to distributing literature on behalf of 

those entities and is prohibited. Similarly, as a leader, you cannot suggest that others like, friend or follow a political 

party, campaign, group or cause.

Endorsements

Navy leaders must not officially endorse or appear to 

endorse any non-Federal entity, event, product,

service or enterprise, including membership drives for 

organizations and fundraising activities. No Sailor may 

solicit gifts or prizes for command events in any capacity 

– on duty, off duty or in a personal capacity. 

Impersonators

Impostor accounts violate most social media platforms’ 

terms of service agreements. 

The best offense is a good defense. Regularly search for 

impostors and report them to the social media site. 

The impersonation of a senior Navy official, such as 

a flag officer or a commanding officer, should also 

be reported to the Navy Office of Information at 

703-614-9154 and navysocialmedia@navy.mil.

Department of the Navy civilians need to 

consider the Hatch Act and DoD policy, which 

are both addressed on page 29.
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Official Use of Social Media for Navy Commands

Navy social media sites are official representations of the Department of the Navy and must demonstrate 

professionalism at all times. While third-party social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are not owned by 

the DoN, there are guidelines for the management of Navy social media accounts.

! Official use of social media is a public affairs responsibility.

Overview of Today’s Online Landscape

Social media usage is nearly universal among younger 

adults and is quickly growing among people over age 

50. People use it to consume news, make or strengthen 

connections, and engage in discussions and activism 

related to personal interests. There are many different 

social media platforms, each with distinct use cases. 

As a Navy communicator, you need to focus your 

efforts on a social media platform that aligns with your 

command’s communications objectives and that your 

targeted audiences use regularly.

According to a study conducted in 2016 by Pew 

Research Center, the percentage of adults who use at 

least one social media site is as follows: 82 percent 

of 18-29 year olds, 77 percent of 30-49 year olds, 65 

percent of 50-64 year olds, and 35 percent of people 

age 65 and above. In total, nearly 70 percent of adults 

use social media. Specifically, 68 percent use Facebook, 

25 percent use Instagram and 21 percent use Twitter. 

Of the 68 percent of adults using Facebook, over 75 

percent go onto the platform every day. Fewer users 

reported logging onto Instagram (51 percent) and 

Twitter (42 percent) daily.

The majority of Facebook users (66 percent) say 

they mostly friend or follow people they know 

personally on Facebook. They don’t necessarily log 

onto it for news; 62 percent of users say they see it 

on Facebook while doing other things. Conversely, 

54 percent of Twitter users say they’re looking for 

news on Twitter. Only 15 percent of Twitter users 

reported that they normally follow people they know 

personally, whereas 48 percent say they mostly 

follow people they don’t know personally. 

We know that young people are very active on social 

media, but they are less likely to show they are engaged 

in content. Though people age 18-29 are almost 20 

percent more likely to use social media than people age 

50-64, the older group is 4 percent more likely to share 

or repost a news story on social media and 10 percent 

more likely to comment on a news story. These metrics 

should influence your command’s content strategies.

Do not feel that you must use multiple platforms. It’s 

far better to have one successful social media site than 

multiple sites that aren’t used effectively.

NAVY COMMUNICATORS

The Navy has an obligation to provide timely and accurate information to the public, keep our Sailors and 

Department of the Navy civilians as well as their families informed, and build relationships with our communities.

Social media presents unequaled opportunities for you to share our Navy’s story in an authentic, transparent and 

rapid manner while building richer, more substantive relationships with people you may not have reached through 

traditional communication channels. It is important to remember that the effective use of social media is only part 

of a command’s public affairs program. Navy communicators need to work with their command leadership to decide 

whether social media is appropriate for their command; not every command needs to use social media.

Additionally, social media has led to new, creative ways and places to quickly and directly tell your command’s story. 

Your content – stories, photos, videos (b-roll and productions), infographics (still and video), blogs, etc. – is needed 

to tell our Navy’s story. Submit released stories to the Navy.mil content management system and Navy Live blog 

proposals to navysocialmedia@navy.mil. Follow current instructions on visual information release and records 

management. Forward released imagery of significant importance to CHINFO Navy Media Content Operations for 

wider distribution and archiving.

Refer to http://imagery.navy.mil for content submission SOPs.

Finally, while this handbook will teach you best practices to tell our Navy’s story on social media, remember that there 

is no substitute for personally using social media to understand how to use it professionally.
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Policy

Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 8550.01, released Sept. 11, 2012, discusses the use of Internet-based 

capabilities (IbCs) such as social media and provides guidelines for their use. The instruction acknowledges IbCs are 

integral to operations across the DoD. It also requires the NIPRNet be configured to provide access to IbCs across all DoD 

components while balancing benefits and vulnerabilities. By definition, IbCs do not include command or activity websites.

DoDI 8550.01 requires that all official social media presences be registered. Official Navy social media sites need 

to be registered at http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia.

SECNAVINST 5720.44C Change 1, Department of the Navy Public Affairs Policy & Regulations, provides policy 

for the official and unofficial (personal) use of social media and for the content and administration of official Navy 

presences on social media, to include:

• Administrators: Commands and activities shall designate administrators for 

official use of IbCs in writing. The administrator is responsible for ensuring postings 

to the IbC comply with content policy. Commands permitting postings by others 

must ensure the site contains an approved user agreement delineating the types of 

information unacceptable for posting to the site and must remove such unacceptable 

content. At a minimum, the DoN’s current social media user agreement is required, 

which is available at http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia.

• Local Procedures: Commands and activities must develop written local procedures 

for the approval and release of all information posted on command and activity 

official use of IbC.

• Security: Commands will actively monitor and evaluate official use of IbC for 

compliance with security requirements and for fraudulent or unacceptable use.

• Primary Web Presence: A command or activity IbC presence, including those on 

blog platforms, may not serve as the DoN entity’s primary web presence and must 

link to the primary web presence, the command or activity’s official website.

• Prohibited Content: Commands and activities shall not publish and shall prohibit 

content such as:

a. Personal attacks, vulgar, hateful, violent or racist language, slurs, stereotyping, 

hate speech, and other forms of discrimination based on any race, color, religion, 

national origin, disability or sexual orientation.

b. Information that may engender threats to the security of Navy and Marine 

Corps operations or assets, or to the safety of DoN personnel and their families.

• Corrections to Previous Posts: If correcting a previous post by another contributor 

on an IbC presence, such posting is done in a respectful, clear and concise manner. 

Personal attacks are prohibited.

Deciding if Social Media is Right for a Command

Social media is not a silver bullet for all of your 

command’s communications needs. Not every 

command needs a social media presence. It is 

far better to not start a social media site than to 

ineffectively use it and abandon the site.

Before launching a social media site, consider what you 

want to accomplish. What are your communications 

objectives and how do they move your command closer to 

achieving its mission? Is the level of transparency required 

in social media appropriate for your command and its 

mission? You also should consider your command’s priority 

audiences and use the right social media platform to reach 

them. Do you want to communicate with your Sailors, 

Navy civilians, command leadership, family members, the 

local community, a broader DoD audience, the American 

public or another group altogether? Do you have the 

content and personnel – both now and long term – to 

routinely engage with those audiences?

Additionally, if your command already has a social media 

presence, you should routinely ask yourself the above 

questions to ensure it remains an effective communications 

tool. If it isn’t, take the opportunity to address the 

underlying issues using the best practices in this handbook 

and at http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia. If you are 

considering no longer using your site, contact CHINFO at 

navysocialmedia@navy.mil before making a decision 

to discuss the proper way to disestablish the site, or 

temporarily suspend activity. Your command has developed 

an online community; you shouldn’t suddenly abandon it.

Alternatives

If your command desires to share information or content 

privately, social media is not your solution. Social media is 

never the right venue for sharing sensitive information. 

If you have sensitive information that you want to limit 

to a specific group, consider one of the Navy’s private 

portals that require a Common Access Card.

If the information or content is to be shared only with 

family members, consider using a dial-in family line or 

conveying it through the command ombudsman, emails 

or family readiness group meetings.

If the information or content is to be shared with the 

local community, but the command is not subordinate 

to Navy Installations Command, contact the base PAO

and/or the Navy region PAO.

If you have information or content that does not 

regularly change, consider the command’s public 

website. 

Do not create social media presences for individual missions, 

exercises and events. Instead, coordinate with relevant 

commands and provide them content that is optimized – 

both written and visually.

If your command is not 

comfortable sharing its content 

with the entire world, do not

post it on social media. 

Strategy Development

Social media is not a substitute for a public affairs program. As you decide how social media 

can support it, ask yourself the following questions to begin developing your command’s 

social media strategy. 

Audience(s): Who are you trying to reach?

 Goal: What will a successful social media site accomplish?

Objectives: What specific steps will you take to reach your goal?

Assessment: How will you decide whether or not your site has reached its goal? How 

will you know if you are employing effective tactics? How will you know if you are 

reaching your intended audience(s)?
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Content Planning

As public affairs plans are developed, discuss how to gather and produce content that is optimized – both written 

and visually – for specific platforms based on your command’s social media strategy.

A single event such as a change of command ceremony can result in multiple products such as a Navy.mil story, live 

tweets, a blog from the outgoing and/or incoming commanding officer, and a social media graphic with a quote – all 

from prepared remarks that can be requested before the ceremony.

Refer to http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia

for the latest platform-specific best practices.

Once released, all Navy content is in the public domain and may not include any copyrighted material such as 

music, photos, videos or graphics. 

In addition to deciding what you will create, discuss when and where you will share it. Not all of your content needs 

to be shared at once and on all of your sites. 

For example, content shared on the Navy’s Twitter account is frequently not shared on Facebook and vice versa. 

The Twitter account is a blend of news about the Navy and relevant trending content related to the Navy that 

attracts new followers. Additionally, the posting frequency is different. Since Twitter is about what’s happening in 

the moment, content is tweeted more often than posted on Facebook. When content about a single topic is shared 

on Facebook and Twitter, it is optimized for that platform. The tweet is much more concise and shorter (due to 

Twitter’s 280-character limit) and includes relevant hashtags and mentions of other Twitter users. Visually, the 

supporting imagery is edited by size and duration for each platform.

Social media sites display images in different sizes. 

Recommended dimensions are available at 

http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia.

Once you’ve developed your content plan, update your content calendar. 

It can be tempting to connect, for example, a Facebook account to a Twitter account so they automatically post to 

each other. However, while it will save you time, it is not an effective approach. Instead, it is an indicator that you 

likely do not have the personnel and content to sustain more than one site.

Commands are responsible for official content posted on their social media. Like a press release or content posted 

to a Navy website, information posted to an official social media presence must be approved by a release authority. 

Contractors may help manage a social media presence, but they cannot serve as a spokesperson for the Navy. 

Therefore, a Navy release authority must review and approve all content prior to a contractor posting it.

This is an example of CHINFO’s content calendar:

Friday, Dec. 15, 2017

Facebook

Time Type Post Content Theme Author Status

945

Facebook Live Some families are getting an early 

Christmas present today... a Sailor 

who will be forged by the sea. 

Watch our newest Sailors graduate 

boot camp live!

People JK Posted 

(Approved by 

CM)

1715

Facebook video Before you watch the 

commissioning of the Freedomvariant littoral combat ship USS 

Little Rock (LCS 9) this Saturday 

at 11A ET on our Facebook page, 

here’s a video to help you get to 

know her, now. 

Platforms JK Scheduled 

(Approved by 

CM)

Twitter

Time Type Tweet Content Theme Author Status

0725

Link with photo LIVE 9:45AM ET: Watch #USNavy’s 

newest Sailors graduate boot 

camp – http://navylive.dodlive.

mil/2017/12/15/navy-recruitgraduation-december-15-2017

People JK Posted 

(Approved by 

CM)

0945

Link with photo LIVE NOW: Watch #USNavy’s 

newest Sailors graduate boot 

camp – http://navylive.dodlive.

mil/2017/12/15/navy-recruitgraduation-december-15-2017

People JK Posted 

(Approved by 

CM)

1350

Twitter video That #FridayFeeling when our 

newest Freedom-variant littoral 

combat ship, future #USSLittleRock 

#LCS9, is just a day away from 

joining our #USNavy fleet

Platforms JK Scheduled 

(Approved by 

CM)

Navy Live blog

Time Type Tweet Content Theme Author Status

0001

Webcast via 

DVIDS

Navy Recruit Graduation: December 

15, 2017 

http://navylive.dodlive.

mil/2017/12/15/navy-recruitgraduation-december-15-2017

People JK Posted 

(Approved by 

CM)
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1

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Crisis Communication: Casualties and Adverse Incidents 

Social media is a major part of most people’s lives during the good times and the bad times. Using social media to 

communicate with stakeholders during a crisis has proven to be effective due to its speed, reach and direct access. 

Social media distributes official information and also facilitates dialogue among the affected and interested parties.

If you can release information to the media, you can release the same information via your social media channels. 

As you develop the crisis communication portion of your public affairs guidance and plans, include possible social 

media posts and tweets with your traditional holding statements.

Once you become aware of a potential or confirmed adverse incident, casualty or 

crisis, immediately cancel all scheduled content so you do not appear disconnected 

from or insensitive to the situation.

Casualties

When personnel are killed, wounded or missing in 

action, it is hard to control the flow of information 

distributed through social media platforms. While it is 

difficult to prepare for these situations, it is important to 

know that social media can play a role (good or bad).

The media may look at command, Sailor, DoN 

civilian and family member social media to get 

more information. It is important that privacy 

settings are regularly reviewed to be as restricted 

as practical. It’s too late during a crisis.

It is vitally important that all Sailors, DoN civilians, 

family members and friends know that the identity 

of a casualty should not be discussed on social media 

until it has been released. In accordance with DoDI 

1300.18, Department of Defense (DoD) Personnel 

Casualty Matters, Policies and Procedures, no 

casualty information on deceased military or DoD

civilian personnel may be released to the media 

or the general public until 24 hours after notifying 

the next of kin regarding the casualty status of the 

member. In the event of a multiple loss incident, the 

start time for the 24-hour period commences upon 

the notification of the last family member. 

Adverse incidents

The time to start using social media isn’t during a 

crisis. In order to build credibility, you need to establish 

a social media presence before a crisis. A large social 

media following doesn’t happen overnight, so relax 

and execute your social media strategy. The better you 

are at providing good information and engaging your 

audience, the faster your following will grow.

The best course of action during a crisis is to 

leverage existing social media presences. If you 

have a regularly updated channel of communication 

before a crisis, then your audiences will know 

where to find information online. Do not make your 

audience search for information. For example, if 

your command is preparing for severe weather 

such as a hurricane, tell your audience where they 

should go for the latest information.

!

3

4

Post information as it is released

Social media moves information quicker than ever, so when a crisis hits, don’t wait for a complete formal 

press release. When you have released information, post it. You can always post additional information as 

it is released. If you expect that you will provide updates, say so. Not posting timely updates during a crisis 

may damage the command’s credibility.

While the below examples are from Twitter, the same principles apply for other social media platforms.
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Correct the record This next example is a reminder to be prepared to 

respond to misinformation and rumors before they 

become a widespread conservation.

If the Navy had not replied with a coordinated response, 

this single tweet may have gained traction. It would’ve 

been much more difficult to correct multiple tweets and 

any possible media reports.

It’s also important to note that this information was 

limited to Twitter. So, there was no need to address it 

on any other platform.

Analyze results Once the crisis is over, analyze what happened. 

Evaluate 

metrics and track user feedback. It is important to 

evaluate how a social media presence performs during a 

crisis so adjustments can be made for the future.

Case study: Washington Navy Yard shooting

The public and private sector – including 

Twitter – cited the Navy’s use of Twitter 

during and after the Washington Navy 

Yard shooting as a best practice to keep 

the public up-to-date during a fast-moving 

news situation.

In its analysis, Twitter found @USNavy became 

the “official source of information for followers and 

the media,” and guided the online conversation by 

creating the hashtag #NavyYardShooting, which 

resulted in 1,900 related tweets per minute at the 

peak of the story.

Build relationships.Don’t wait for something big to 

happen to get familiar with the public affairs officer 

in charge of media queries, build relationships on Twitter with your local media, know who your social 

media influencers are and communicate with them 

often. If you wait until you need someone to get to 

know them, you’ve waited too long.

Have a well-trained team.Be comfortable using 

Twitter before a crisis. Even if you’re the Twitter guru 

on your team, make sure the rest of your colleagues 

understand how to use the platform. For the Navy Yard 

incident, CHINFO had four people dedicated to various 

Twitter related tasks. So, set up a training session, have 

your colleague sit beside you when you draft tweets 

and recommend some reading. Make sure you have 

people in your office, other than yourself, that you trust 

to tweet on behalf of your command. You never know 

when you will need the help.

Be able to react quickly.The first step in a crisis 

situation is confirmation. You may not know all the 

details, and that’s okay, but the people involved and 

the media want information. The days of waiting for 

that perfectly polished press release are over. News is 

happening and it’s happening now.

Instead of waiting to release a statement until you have 

the full story, ask yourself, “What do you know now?” This is where being a trusted advisor is critical. Talk to 

leadership and emphasize the need to get out ahead of 

the press release with confirmed and releasable facts, 

but remember speed does not replace the need for 

accuracy. 
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What’s often blamed on social media hacking is rooted in poor account management: easy-to-guess passwords; 

passwords that aren’t changed periodically or after personnel depart; or lazy device security such as unlocked 

computers or mobile devices. Fortunately, these risk can be mitigated.

Passwords should be unique for each platform, and difficult to guess and ideally 

created through a random password generator. Only share the password with 

people who are authorized to manage the account, and change the passwords 

regularly.

Even if your password is strong, adversaries may still be able to gain access to your accounts through weak privacy 

options or third-party access. Carefully look at your security options on each platform to minimize the possibility 

of unwanted entry. Providing a third-party app or plug-in access to one of your social media accounts can seem 

like a good idea, but if one of those third-party apps is compromised, your account likely will be as well. Many of 

those apps and plugins are written by unknown third parties who may use them to access your data and friends. 

Be conservative about granting third-party apps access, and diligently review who has access to your accounts and 

eliminate apps you aren’t familiar with or no longer use.

If you suspect your command’s account has been hijacked or vandalized, follow these steps:

For the Washington Navy Yard shooting, we knew 

there was an active shooter, we knew the location and 

we knew about our people. The ability to tweet that 

information once released – even before the full press 

release was complete – helped to frame the story and 

controlled misinformation. Additionally, since we knew 

there would be frequent updates, we told the media 

to monitor the Navy’s Twitter account for the latest 

information.

Sending tweets is only half of your job. Twitter is 

complex. A lot is happening all the time and it’s hard 

to keep up without diligently monitoring. CHINFO has 

several established monitoring streams that we check 

multiple times throughout the day, but in an instance 

like the Washington Navy Yard shooting, they weren’t 

enough. Set up the following streams that you and your 

team should monitor daily:

• Mentions of your account’s handle (e.g., @USNavy)

• Your retweets

• Keywords associated with your command. We know 

not everyone uses our handle (@USNavy) so we also 

search for mentions of Navy, USNavy, #USNavy and 

U.S. Navy

• Campaign or incident specific keyword searches 

(e.g., “Navy + aircraft”)

In a crisis situation, we adapt and add streams 

based on how people are talking about the incident. 

During the shooting, we started the hashtag 

#NavyYardShooting to make it easier to group and 

track conversations about the incident, but we also 

monitored mentions of “Navy + shooting.”

One voice. When something of this scale happens, it’s 

best to present one, united and informed Navy voice 

to the public. There will be a lot of questions. People 

will dig for information. It’s your job to identify the right 

voice. Identifying and directing people to the appropriate 

spokesperson and online source of information will go a 

long way to help minimize misinformation.

During the shooting, @USNavy was the “digital 

spokesperson” for the most part, but conflicting 

reports occurred from on-scene accounts. Some of 

these reports were untrue or unconfirmed at the 

time. Multiple Navy spokespersons were then quoted, 

which caused confusion and made @USNavy tweets 

appear uncoordinated.

Have a plan. Crisis situations often follow a bell curve. 

There was a point where conversations decreased and 

stabilized. Once that occurs, there isn’t a need to post 

minute-by-minute updates, but you should still be an 

active participant in the conversations.

For days following the shooting, there were spikes in 

conversations when new information was released. 

Additionally, there will still be people wanting more 

information. Continue to monitor and be ready to direct 

people to the correct point of contact for more information 

on your topic.

Account Security

Official Navy Facebook pages must be attached to individuals’ Facebook profiles. Do not share a generic 

Facebook profile; this frequently leads to commands losing access to their pages. Instead, your designated page 

administrator will use his or her personal Facebook account to manually authorize specific Facebook users to 

manage the official page. The administrator should grant access to multiple users to minimize the chance of 

permanently losing access to the page. Once granted access, updates to the command’s Facebook page will be 

posted as the page and not the individuals.

For other social media sites, use your command PAO’s general Navy.mil email 

address to create an official account. Generate a secure password and share it 

only with account administrators.

1. Timing is critical in these initial minutes. First, 

complete a support request through the social media 

site. Simultaneously, notify your higher command’s 

PAO and your command’s security officer. Then, 

immediately contact CHINFO. During regular working 

hours, call Navy Media Content Operations at 703-

614-9154. Outside of regular working hours, contact 

the CHINFO duty officer at 703-850-1047 and 

request assistance from the digital media team.

2. Change all other social media passwords. Even if 

you think the security breach is limited to the one 

account, it is prudent to change the passwords 

of all other social media accounts. If you’ve lost 

control of other accounts, contact those platforms 

immediately also and CHINFO. You should also 

change the passwords on your personal accounts. 

3. If you don’t have access to your account yet, use 

other accounts to alert your online community 

that a breach occurred. The right words and speed 

matter. Regardless of whether you have access, 

carefully decide what you will say. The same rules 

for crisis communication offline apply online. 

Remember a traditional 24-hour news cycle offline 

can occur in just a few minutes online.

4. Once you’ve regained control of your account, 

change your password and screen shot the 

unauthorized content before deleting it.
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Online Advertising

With very few exceptions, Navy accounts may not pay to boost Facebook posts, promote tweets or take similar 

action on content. 

Navy communicators may not engage in advertisement on social media platforms, websites, apps or any similar 

venues. According to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, advertising is defined as, “the use of media to promote the 

sale of products or services.” 

Consult your command’s JAG or contracting officer for exceptions and additional information.

Online Conduct

Any member of the Navy community who experiences or witnesses incidents of improper online behavior 

should promptly report it to their chain of command via the Command Managed Equal Opportunity manager 

or Fleet and Family Support office. Additional avenues for reporting include Equal Employment Opportunity 

offices, the Inspector General, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response offices and Naval Criminal 

Investigative Service. 

NCIS encourages anyone with knowledge of criminal activity to report it to their local NCIS field office directly or via 

web or smartphone app.

Specific instructions are available at 

http://www.ncis.navy.mil/pages/NCISTips.aspx.

Refer to the handbook’s appendix for additional information.

Impersonators

Regularly search for impostors and report them to the social media site. 

The impersonation of a senior Navy official, such as a flag officer or a commanding officer, should also be reported 

to CHINFO at 703-614-9154 and navysocialmedia@navy.mil. 

Ensure your official Navy social media site has been registered as required at http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia. If 

you discover a social media site that portrays itself as an official Navy site, contact CHINFO.

!

Operations Security (OPSEC)

We all know that “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and social media 

amplifies OPSEC risks because it enables greater volume 

and increased speed of information shared publicly. 

Navy communicators should carefully consider the 

level of detail used when posting information anywhere 

on the internet, and should err on the side of taking a 

cautious and conservative approach. Local procedures 

should be established to ensure that all information 

posted on social media is releasable and in accordance 

with local public affairs guidance and Navy Public Affairs 

Regulations. It is then the responsibility of the social 

media managers to identify information that may 

compromise OPSEC and remove it.

Navy communicators must also inform Sailors and DoN 

civilians as well as their families, and their command’s 

online community of OPSEC best practices: 

1. Deployment: You should minimize the risk of 

sharing information related to a current deployment. 

Instead of saying, “My Sailor is in ABC unit at 

DEF camp in GHI city in Afghanistan” loved ones 

should rephrase it to: “My Sailor is in Afghanistan.” 

Close family and friends should already know this 

information if they’re allowed, so there is no need to 

post it online.

2. Schedules: Posts about scheduled movements and 

current or future locations should be avoided. “She 

is coming home,” should be used instead of saying, 

“She will be back on X date from ABC city.” Generally, 

it is safer to talk about events that have happened 

– not that will happen unless that information has 

been released to the media. 

3. Personal Information: Limit personal information 

such as deployment status, addresses, telephone 

number, location information, schedules, family 

members (e.g., names, addresses, birth dates, 

birthplace, local towns, schools, etc.), etc.

4. Friends: Everyone should be careful who they friend 

on social media and who follows them. Not everyone 

who wants to be a friend or follower is necessarily 

who they claim to be. Be mindful of others 

attempting to use social presences as a means of 

targeting individuals. Only allow people who are 

known in real life into social circles.

Other information that should not be shared by anyone 

includes descriptions of military facilities, unit morale, 

future operations or plans, results of operations, 

technical information, details of weapons systems, 

equipment status, and well as the discussion of daily 

routines and frequently visited locations.

Everyone should be encouraged to post about the 

following: pride and support for service members, units 

and specialties; generalizations about service or duty; 

port call information after it has been released to the 

media; general status of the location of a ship at sea 

(e.g., operating off the coast of San Diego, as opposed 

to 45 nm north of San Diego); and content from official 

Navy social media sites.

Navy social media managers should do the following if 

they identify OPSEC violations: 

1. Record and archive the information, and remove 

it if possible.

2. Notify the command’s PAO and security officer of 

any potential OPSEC violation.

3. Inform the user of the OPSEC violation. Use it 

as a teachable moment and provide them with 

OPSEC best practices and resources so they 

don’t repeat the mistake.

4. Educate the online community about OPSEC, why it 

is important and what they can do if they think they 

know of a violation.

Politics and Endorsements

Navy accounts should only like 

official government social media 

accounts.

Navy accounts are forbidden from expressing opinions 

about public issues, including, but not limited to, 

politics, political candidates, elected officials and 

political parties. Similarly, official Navy accounts should 

not like or follow partisan accounts, including, but not 

limited to, accounts belonging to a specific political 

party or political candidate.

The government does not allow solicitations or 

advertisements of any kind. This includes promotion 

or endorsement of any financial, commercial or nongovernmental agency. Similarly, attempts to defame or 

defraud any financial, commercial, or non-governmental 

agency are prohibited.
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What about Sailors who aren’t on active duty? 

They’re not subject to the above social media 

restrictions so long as they don’t reasonably create 

the perception or appearance of official sponsorship, 

approval or endorsement by the DoD.

The information above doesn’t 

cover everything. If in doubt, 

consult your command’s ethics 

counselor.

Cybersecurity

One of the best features of social media sites is the 

ability to connect people from across the world in 

spontaneous and interactive ways. However, this 

also opens its users and their systems to security 

weaknesses. Information shared on the internet 

can provide adversaries such as terrorists, spies and 

criminals with information that may be used to harm 

you or disrupt your command’s mission. Remember, 

hacking, configuration errors, social engineering and 

the sale/sharing of user data mean your information 

could become public at any time. 

You should choose passwords that are unique and 

difficult to guess for each social media account. You 

should not share your passwords or security questions. 

When using computers, you should make sure to 

regularly update your anti-virus software, and beware 

of links, downloads and attachments. Look for HTTPS://, 

the lock icon or a green browser bar that indicate active 

transmission security before logging in or entering 

sensitive data (especially when using Wi-Fi hotspots).

Refer to the handbook’s appendix

for additional information.

Operations Security (OPSEC)

We all know that “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and social media 

amplifies Operations Security risks because it enables 

greater volume and increased speed of information 

shared publicly. OPSEC rules are universal and should be 

maintained online just as they are offline. If you wouldn’t 

say it, write it or type it, don’t post it on the internet. 

OPSEC violations commonly occur when personnel share 

information with people they do not know well or if their 

social media accounts have loose privacy settings.

Reporting Incidents

Any member of the Navy community who 

experiences or witnesses incidents of improper 

online behavior should promptly report it to their 

chain of command via the Command Managed Equal 

Opportunity manager or Fleet and Family Support 

office. Additional avenues for reporting include Equal 

Employment Opportunity offices, the Inspector 

General, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 

offices and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. NCIS 

encourages anyone with knowledge of criminal activity 

to report it to their local NCIS field office directly or via 

web or smartphone app.

Specific instructions are available at 

http://www.ncis.navy.mil/pages/NCISTips.aspx.

Refer to the handbook’s appendix for additional information.

Politics

Active-duty Sailors may generally express their 

personal views about public issues or political 

candidates using social media — just like they can 

write a letter to a newspaper’s editor. If the social 

media site or content identifies the Sailor as on active 

duty (or if they’re reasonably identifiable as an activeduty Sailor), then the content needs to clearly and 

prominently state that the views expressed are those 

of the individual only and not those of the Department 

of Defense. However, active-duty service members 

may not engage in any partisan political activity such 

as posting or making direct links to a political party, 

partisan political candidate, campaign, group or cause. 

That’s the equivalent of distributing literature on behalf 

of those entities or individuals, which is prohibited.

Active-duty Sailors can like or follow accounts of 

a political party or partisan candidate, campaign, 

group or cause. However, they cannot suggest that 

others like, friend or follow them or forward an 

invitation or solicitation.

Remember, active-duty service members are 

subject to additional restrictions based on the Joint 

Ethics Regulation, the Uniform Code of Military 

Justice and rules about the use of government 

resources and government communications 

systems, including email and internet.

SAILORS

Sailors have always been ambassadors of the Navy in their actions and words, both at home and overseas. With 

that role in mind, it is important for you to understand what it means to communicate online to ensure you are 

responsibly representing the Navy. 

It has never been simpler for a Sailor to reach a large, public audience intentionally or unintentionally through email, 

social media, blogs and other platforms. While most Sailors do not work in public affairs and do not officially speak 

on behalf of the Navy, all Sailors must recognize that they still may be perceived as a spokesperson for the Navy 

simply because they wear a Navy uniform. 

As a Sailor, you are often the best spokesperson the Navy has; you can share a direct, unfiltered perception of what 

it means to serve your country and can provide personal insights into life in the Navy. However, you do not always 

have complete control to decide when you are and are not speaking for the Navy, so you must understand how to 

communicate responsibly as an individual, taking care not to do or say anything to cast yourself or the Navy in a 

negative or unintended light. 

Online Conduct

No Sailor should communicate on social media or 

elsewhere in a way that may negatively impact herself 

or himself or the Navy. It is often hard to distinguish 

between the personal and the professional on the 

internet, so Sailors should assume that any content 

they post may impact their personal careers and the 

reputation of the Navy more broadly. Sailors should 

not engage in any conversations or activities that may 

threaten the Navy’s core values or operational readiness. 

Content that is defamatory, threatening, harassing, or 

discriminating on the basis of race, color, sex, gender, age, 

religion, national origin, sexual orientation or any other 

protected criteria is punishable and should be avoided. 

The internet doesn’t forget; online habits leave digital 

footprints. Take caution when posting content, even if you 

think you are doing so in a private and closed community.

Follow the UCMJ

Sailors using social media are subject to the UCMJ and 

Navy Regulations at all times, even when off duty. 

Commenting, posting or linking to material that violates 

the UCMJ may result in administrative or disciplinary 

action, to include administrative separation.

Punitive action may include Articles 88, 89, 91, 92, 

120b, 120c, 133 or 134 (General Article provisions,

Contempt, Disrespect, Insubordination, Indecent 

Language, Communicating a threat, Solicitation to

commit another Offense, and Child Pornography 

offenses), as well as other articles, including Navy 

Regulations Article 1168, nonconsensual distribution or 

broadcast of an intimate image. 

Behaviors with legal consequences include:

• Child exploitation/Child sexual exploitation

• Computer misuse (hacking) 

• Cyber stalking

• Electronic harassment

• Electronic threats

• Obscenity

This handbook will teach you some of the best practices that you should 

follow while using social media. 
22 The navy social media handbook Sailors The navy social media handbook 23 WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

!

You need to be especially careful when it comes 

to discussing current deployments, scheduled 

movements, and current or future locations. Instead 

of saying, “I’m in Any Unit at Naval Station Anywhere 

in Any City, Japan,” you should rephrase it to say, “I’m 

deployed in the Pacific.” Instead of saying, “I will be 

back in 53 days” you should say “I am coming home.” 

Other information that should not be shared includes: 

description of bases, unit morale, future operations 

or plans, results of operations, discussion of areas 

frequented by service members (even off-duty 

hangouts), daily military activities and operations, 

technical information, details of weapons systems and 

equipment status.

Generally, it is safer to talk about events that have 

happened – not that will happen – unless that 

information has been released to the media. Close 

family and friends should already know details related 

to your schedule if they’re allowed, so there is no need 

for you to post this online.

As a Sailor, you should also limit the personal 

information you post about yourself (e.g., deployment 

status, addresses, telephone number, location 

information, schedules, etc.) and your family members 

(e.g., names, addresses, birth dates, birthplace, local 

towns, schools, etc.). 

You should be careful about who you friend on social 

media and who follows you. Not everyone who 

wants to be your friend or follower is necessarily 

who they claim Only allow people who you know in 

real life into your social circles.

Adverse Incidents

Social media is a major part of most people’s lives 

during the good times and the bad times. When our 

shipmates are killed, wounded or missing in action, it 

is hard to control the flow of information distributed 

through social media platforms. While it is difficult to 

prepare for these situations, it is important to know that 

social media can play a role (good or bad) in the handling 

of a serious illness, injury or death.

In accordance with DoDI 1300.18, Department of 

Defense (DoD) Personnel Casualty Matters, Policies 

and Procedures, no casualty information on deceased 

military or DoD civilian personnel may be released to 

the media or the general public until 24 hours after 

notifying the next of kin regarding the casualty status of 

the member. In the event of a multiple loss incident, the 

start time for the 24-hour period commences upon the 

notification of the last family member. 

Always follow unit protocol when it comes to these 

situations. It is imperative that you do not add to rumors 

and speculation. If approached by someone, discuss that you 

do not know and they should not speculate.

Journalists’ jobs are to report the news, which includes 

adverse incidents. The media may look at command, 

Sailor, DoN civilian and family member social media 

to get more information. It is important that privacy 

settings are regularly reviewed to be as restricted as 

practical. It’s too late when something bad as happened. 

Should you be contacted by a member of the media, simply 

refer them to your command’s public affairs officer.

Endorsements

Sailors must not officially endorse or appear to 

endorse any non-Federal entity, event, product, 

service or enterprise, including membership drives for 

organizations and fundraising activities.

You can never solicit gifts or prizes for command events in 

any capacity – on duty, off duty or in a personal capacity. 

You may not solicit gifts or prizes for command events. 

Bottom line

If you can’t say or do it offline, you can’t say or do it online.

FAMILIES

If you are reading this, a loved one is affiliated with the U.S. Navy. We are grateful for them and for your dedicated 

support of their chosen career. One way to support your Sailor is to recognize the importance of sharing

the Navy story.

You have likely heard that family readiness equals warfighting readiness, and we hope you believe that as strongly as 

we do. Without strong, capable families, our Sailors cannot be prepared to do what they must to defend our nation and 

further our objectives abroad. Because families are such a big part of our Navy, it is crucial that should you choose to 

share your story, you follow the guidelines to preserve OPSEC and propriety.T

Cybersecurity

One of the best features of social media sites is the 

ability to connect people from across the world in 

spontaneous and interactive ways. However, this 

also opens its users and their systems to security 

weaknesses. Information shared on the internet can 

provide adversaries such as terrorists, spies and 

criminals with information that may be used to harm 

you or disrupt your command’s mission. Remember, 

hacking, configuration errors, social engineering and 

the sale/sharing of user data means your information 

could become public at any time. 

Anyone using social media should choose passwords 

that are unique and difficult to guess for each 

account. You should not share passwords or security 

questions. Regularly update your anti-virus software 

and operating system to install the latest security 

patches, and beware of links, downloads and 

attachments. Look for HTTPS://, the lock icon or a 

green browser bar that indicate active transmission 

security before logging in or entering sensitive data 

(especially when using Wi-Fi hotspots).

Operations Security (OPSEC)

You might have heard the saying that “Loose Lips 

Sink Ships” and social media amplifies Operations 

Security risks because it enables greater volume 

and increased speed of information shared publicly. 

OPSEC violations commonly occur when someone 

shares information with people they do not know well 

(like their Twitter followers), or if their social media 

accounts have loose privacy settings.

Families of Sailors need to be especially careful when 

it comes to discussing current deployments, scheduled 

movements, and current or future locations. Instead 

of saying, “My son, IT2 Any Sailor, is in Any Unit at 

Naval Station Anywhere in Any City, Japan,” you should 

rephrase it to say, “My Sailor is deployed in the Pacific.” 

Instead of saying, “My Sailor will be back in 53 days” you 

should say “My Sailor is coming home.” 

You should also limit the personal information you post 

about yourself (e.g., names, addresses, birth dates, 

birthplace, local towns, schools, etc.) or your Sailor (e.g., 

deployment status, addresses, telephone number, 

location information, schedules, etc.).

This section will teach you some of the best practices that you should 

follow on social media. 
24 The navy social media handbook Families The navy social media handbook 25 WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

!

Family members should be careful who they friend 

on social media and who follows them. Not everyone 

who wants to be your friend or follower is necessarily 

who they claim. Only allow people that you actually 

know in real life into your social circles.

As a family member of a Sailor, you should feel 

free to post about pride and support for service 

members, port call information after it has been 

released to the media, general status of the location 

of a ship at sea (e.g., operating off the coast of San 

Diego, as opposed to 45 nm north of San Diego), and 

posts from official Navy social media presences.

Adverse Incidents

Social media is a major part of most people’s lives 

during the good times and the bad times. When 

Sailors are killed, wounded or missing in action, it is 

hard to control the flow of information distributed 

through social media platforms. While it is difficult to 

prepare for these situations, it is important to know 

that social media can play a role (good or bad) in the 

handling of a serious illness, injury or death.

In accordance with DoDI 1300.18, Department of 

Defense (DoD) Personnel Casualty Matters, Policies 

and Procedures, no casualty information on deceased 

military or DoD civilian personnel may be released to 

the media or the general public until 24 hours after 

notifying the next of kin regarding the casualty status of 

the member. In the event of a multiple loss incident, the 

start time for the 24-hour period commences upon the 

notification of the last family member. 

It is imperative that you do not add to rumors and 

speculation when there is a report of an injury or 

death. If approached by someone, explain that you do 

not know and they should not speculate.

Journalists’ jobs are to report the news, which includes 

adverse incidents. The media may look at command, 

Sailor, DoN civilian and family member social media 

to get more information. It is important that privacy 

settings are regularly reviewed to be as restrictive 

as practical. It’s too late when something bad has 

happened. Should you be contacted by a member of the 

media, simply refer them to your command’s public affairs 

officer.

OMBUDSMEN

Thank you for taking on the vital role as an command ombudsman. You are a vital link between the command’s 

leadership and families.

You have likely heard that family readiness equals warfighting readiness, and we hope you believe that as strongly as 

we do. Without strong, capable families, our Sailors cannot be prepared to do what they must to defend our nation 

and further our objectives abroad. Because families are such a big part of the Navy’s story, it is crucial that you – as an 

ombudsman – share your Navy story and encourage Navy families to do the same. 

Be sure to follow the Navy Ombudsman At Large Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/

USNavyOmbudsmanAtLarge.

same. 

Overview of Today’s Landscape

Social media usage is nearly universal among younger 

adults and is quickly growing among people over age 

50. People use it to consume news, make or strengthen 

connections and engage in discussions and activism 

related to personal interests. There are many different 

social media platforms, each with distinct use cases that 

are preferred by different types of people. 

Best Practices to Support Command’s Official 

Social Media Presence(s)

When ships or units are deployed, they have less 

bandwidth or no connection at all, which makes it 

difficult or impossible to update social media sites. 

Having someone shore side to help post released 

updates, photos and videos can be extremely 

helpful. We recommend that you talk to the public 

affairs officer or senior enlisted advisor before the 

command deploys and discuss this possibility. Ask 

the public affairs officer for training before he or she 

departs in case they need your support. 

Social media is most valuable when community 

members engage in discussions, share resources 

and network. As the ombudsman, you are in an 

This section will teach you some of the best practices that you should follow 

while supporting your command and encouraging others to do the same.

excellent position to encourage discussion. People 

will be honest, ask questions – and at times – may 

express frustration. This feedback enables the 

command leadership and you to effectively address 

family concerns. More often than not, we have 

seen overwhelmingly supportive Navy families on 

social media – especially when there is an active 

and responsive account administrator. 

You and the command can consider a number of 

options to support family readiness through social 

media. We recommend that commands have a 

single presence on any given social media platform, 

with the ombudsman actively participating. Go 

to your audience – your families. It is up to you 

and your command to determine what social 

media platform is the best fit for how you need to 

communicate with your families. 

Social media can be viral. So, it is easy to post 

information in one place and for it to quickly spread 

to your command’s extended family. A wellcoordinated command social media presence with 

active participation from you alongside command 

leadership, presents a cohesive and supportive 

environment that leads to stronger family readiness. 

Dangerous Safer

My son, IT2 Any Sailor, is in Any Unit at Naval Station Anywhere 

in Any City, Japan.

My Sailor is deployed in the Pacific.

My daughter, Ens. Any Sailor, is aboard USS John C. Stennis. She’s 

coming home in 53 days.

My daughter’s ship is coming home in a couple of months.

My family is in Houston, Texas I’m from Texas.

To be safer, talk about events that have happened – not that will happen 

unless that information has been released to the media. 
26 The navy social media handbook Ombudsmen The navy social media handbook 27 WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

!

If you have any questions about 

what may violate Operations 

Security, contact your command’s 

public affairs officer before 

posting or sharing.

Ombudsmen should feel free to post about pride and 

support for service members, port call information after 

it has been released to the media, general status of the 

location of a ship at sea (e.g., operating off the coast of 

San Diego, as opposed to 45 nm north of San Diego), 

and posts from official Navy social media presences.

You may find yourself educating families about 

OPSEC and reminding them to be aware of what they 

post online. Some techniques that might help include:

• Including notes and OPSEC reminders, as well as 

real-world examples, in monthly newsletters

• Proactively providing information about family 

readiness group meetings and other appropriate 

venues to discuss homecoming and port information, 

so family members do not feel like they have to 

violate OPSEC; they know where to get information

• Creating a teachable moment when someone 

violates OPSEC by discussing it with them and 

others so the mistake is not repeated. 

Adverse Incidents

Social media is a major part of most people’s lives 

during the good times and the bad times. When 

Sailors are killed, wounded or missing in action, it is 

hard to control the flow of information distributed 

through social media platforms. While it is difficult 

to prepare for these situations, it is important to 

know that social media can play a role (good or bad) 

in the handling of a serious illness, injury or death.

In accordance with DoDI 1300.18, Department 

of Defense (DoD) Personnel Casualty Matters, 

Policies and Procedures, no casualty information 

on deceased military or DoD civilian personnel may 

be released to the media or the general public until 

24 hours after notifying the next of kin regarding 

the casualty status of the member. In the event of 

a multiple loss incident, the start time for the 24-

hour period commences upon the notification of 

the last family member. 

you or disrupt your command’s mission. Remember, 

hacking, configuration errors, social engineering and 

the sale/sharing of user data means your information 

could become public at any time. 

Anyone using social media should choose passwords 

that are unique and difficult to guess for each 

account. You should not share passwords or security 

questions. Regularly update your anti-virus software 

and operating system to install the latest security 

patches, and beware of links, downloads and 

attachments. Look for HTTPS://, the lock icon or a 

green browser bar that indicate active transmission 

security before logging in or entering sensitive data 

(especially when using Wi-Fi hotspots).

Refer to the handbook’s appendix

for additional information.

Operations Security (OPSEC)

You’ve likely heard the saying that “Loose Lips 

Sink Ships” and social media amplifies Operations 

Security risks because it enables greater volume 

and increased speed of information shared publicly. 

OPSEC violations commonly occur when someone 

shares information with people they do not know 

well (like their Twitter followers), or if their social 

media accounts have loose privacy settings.

Families of Sailors need to be especially careful 

when it comes to discussing current deployments, 

scheduled movements, and current or future 

locations. Instead of saying, “My son, IT2 Any Sailor, 

is in Any Unit at Naval Station Anywhere in Any City, 

Japan,” you should rephrase it to say, “My Sailor is 

deployed in the Pacific.” Instead of saying, “My Sailor will 

be back in 53 days” you should say “My Sailor is coming 

home.” 

You should also limit the information you post 

about yourself (e.g., names, addresses, birth dates, 

birthplace, local towns, schools, etc.). Carefully 

consider who you friend on social media and who 

follows them. Not everyone who wants to be your 

friend or follower is necessarily who they claim. 

Only allow people that you actually know in real life 

into your social circles.

If the command is unable to support a social media 

presence on a long-term basis, we recommend it 

doesn’t create one. It is far better to not start a social 

media site than to ineffectively use it and abandon 

the site. However, remember that people want to 

communicate with one another. Your families can 

and will create their own social media presences if 

the command does not have one. It is in your best 

interest and the command’s to lead the way by 

providing an online presence for your families. 

Many commands have unofficial social media 

presences established by former crew members, 

veterans or fans excited about the command. Work 

with the command leadership to determine if you 

want to approach the presence and/or simply 

monitor it and chime in when you have information 

to add. You may want to contact the administrator 

to see how you can work together. Regardless, this 

should not stop you or the command from creating 

an official presence for the command and its 

families. These official presences are listed in the 

Navy Social Media Directory (lists only command 

presences, not family readiness groups) which 

can be found at http://www.navy.mil/socialmedia. 

If you find an online presence portraying itself 

as an official presence and the command is not 

sponsoring it, your command’s public affairs officer 

should contact the Navy Office of Information at 

navysocialmedia@navy.mil.

If you are turning over your ombudsman duties, 

teach the incoming ombudsman how the social 

media account works and explain how you’ve been 

using it. Then, introduce the new ombudsman on the 

platform and send a sign-off message. You may also 

recommend the new ombudsman post a photo and/

or note introducing himself or herself. Finally, ensure 

you have made them an account administrator 

(Facebook) and/or given them the account’s 

username and password (other platforms).

Cybersecurity

One of the best features of social media sites is the 

ability to connect people from across the world in 

spontaneous and interactive ways. However, this 

also opens its users and their systems to security 

weaknesses. Information shared on the internet can 

provide adversaries such as terrorists, spies and 

criminals with information that may be used to harm 

It is important that all friends, family and fellow Sailors 

know that information must not be released anywhere, 

including on private social media accounts, before the 

next of kin is notified. Always follow unit protocol when 

it comes to these situations.

Journalists’ jobs are to report the news, which includes 

adverse incidents. The media may look at command, 

Sailor, DoN civilian and family member social media 

to get more information. It is important that privacy 

settings are regularly reviewed to be as restrictive 

as practical. It’s too late when something bad has 

happened. Should you be contacted by a member of the 

media, simply refer them to your command’s public affairs 

officer.

Private Groups

Closed, private and unlisted social media groups may 

sound appealing since they appear to offer a sense of 

privacy. However, never assume that anything on the 

internet is truly private. The internet doesn’t forget. 

Content is archived and traceable forever. Take caution 

when posting content, even if you think you are doing so 

in a private and closed community. 
28 The navy social media handbook Department of the Navy Civilians The navy social media handbook 29 WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

DEPARTMENT NAVY CIVILIANS of

the

Politics

Before posting about politics on social media, 

Department of the Navy civilians need to consider 

the Hatch Act and DoD policy. In general, as a federal 

employee, you may use social media and comply with 

the Hatch Act if you:

• Don’t engage in political activity while on duty 

or in the workplace, even if you are using your 

personal smartphone, tablet, or laptop to do so. 

Federal employees are “on duty” when they’re in 

a pay status (including during telework hours, but 

not including paid leave) or are representing the 

government in an official capacity.

• Don’t engage in political activity in an official 

capacity at any time. Political activity refers to any 

activity directed at the success or failure of a political 

party or partisan political group or candidate in a 

partisan race.

• Don’t solicit or receive political contributions at any 

time.

As a civilian, you may express your opinions about 

a partisan group or candidate in a partisan race by 

posting, liking, sharing, tweeting or retweeting, but there 

are a few limitations. The Hatch Act prohibits federal 

employees from:

• Referring to your official titles or positions while 

engaged in political activity at any time; it is 

important to note that including your official title 

or position in your social media profile is not an 

improper use of official authority.

• Suggesting or asking anyone to make political 

contributions at any time, including providing links to 

the political contribution page of any partisan group 

or candidate in a partisan race or liking, sharing, or 

retweeting a solicitation from one of those entities.

• Liking, sharing, or retweeting an invitation to a 

political fundraising event; however, you may accept 

an invitation to a political fundraising event from 

such entities via social media.

Civilians that fall in the “further restricted employees” 

category may express their opinions about a partisan 

group or candidate in a partisan race by posting or 

sharing content, but there are a few limitations.

!

!

The above information doesn’t cover 

every situation. If in doubt, consult your 

command’s ethics counselor.

In addition to the limitations above, the Hatch Act 

prohibits further restricted employees from:

• Posting or linking to campaign or other partisan 

material of a partisan group or candidate in a 

partisan race

• Sharing those entities’ social media sites or their 

content, including retweeting

Civilians are allowed to identify their political party 

affiliation in their social media profiles, even if it also 

contains their official title or position, without more.

As a civilian, you may display a political party or 

campaign logo or a candidate photograph in your profile 

picture, but it is subject to the following limitations. 

Because a profile picture accompanies most actions on 

social media, while in the workplace you would not be 

permitted to post, share, tweet, or retweet any social 

media content because each such action would show 

your support for a partisan group or candidate in a 

partisan race, even if the content of the action is not 

about those entities.

Cybersecurity

One of the best features of social media sites is the 

ability to connect people from across the world in 

spontaneous and interactive ways. However, this 

also opens its users and their systems to security 

weaknesses. Information shared on the internet can 

provide adversaries such as terrorists, spies and 

criminals with information that may be used to harm 

you or disrupt your command’s mission. Remember, 

hacking, configuration errors, social engineering and 

the sale/sharing of user data mean your information 

could become public at any time. 

Anyone using social media should choose passwords 

that are unique and difficult to guess for each 

account. You should not share passwords or security 

questions. Regularly update your anti-virus software 

and operating system to install the latest security 

patches, and beware of links, downloads and 

attachments. Look for HTTPS://, the lock icon or a 

green browser bar that indicate active transmission 

security before logging in or entering sensitive data 

(especially when using Wi-Fi hotspots).

Refer to the handbook’s appendix

for additional information.

Operations Security (OPSEC)

You’ve likely heard the saying that “Loose Lips 

Sink Ships” and social media amplifies Operations 

Security risks because it enables greater volume 

and increased speed of information shared publicly. 

OPSEC violations commonly occur when someone 

shares information with people they do not know well 

(like their Twitter followers), or if their social media 

accounts have loose privacy settings.

Be careful when discussing current deployments, 

scheduled movements, and current or future locations. 

Other information that should not be shared by anyone 

includes descriptions of military facilities, unit morale, 

future operations or plans, results of operations, 

technical information, details of weapons systems, 

equipment status, and well as the discussion of daily 

routines and frequently visited locations.

Generally, it is safer to talk about events that have 

happened – not that will happen – unless that 

information has been released to the media. Close 

family and friends should already know details related 

to your schedule if they’re allowed, so there is no need 

for you to post this online.

Limit the personal information you post about yourself 

(e.g., addresses, telephone number, schedules, etc.) 

and your family members (e.g., names, addresses, birth 

dates, birthplace, local towns, schools, etc.). 

You should be careful about who you friend on social 

media and who follows you. Not everyone who 

wants to be your friend or follower is necessarily 

who they claim. Only allow people who you know in 

real life into your social circles.

Feel free to post about pride and support for service 

members, port call information after it has been 

released to the media, general status of the location of 

a ship at sea (e.g., operating off the coast of San Diego, 

as opposed to 45 nm north of San Diego), and posts 

from official Navy social media presences.

Online Conduct

As a Navy civilian, it is important to know that when you’re 

online you still represent the Navy. Online bullying, hazing, 

harassment, stalking, discrimination, retaliation and 

any other type of behavior that undermines dignity and 

respect are not consistent with Navy core values and 

negatively impact the force.

Navy civilians can be subject to 

appropriate disciplinary actions.
30 The navy social media handbook Appendix The navy social media handbook 31 WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

Online Conduct

The Navy defines online conduct as the use of electronic 

communications in an official or personal capacity, 

consistent with Navy values and standards of conduct. It is 

important that all Sailors and Navy civilians know when they 

are online they still represent the U.S. Navy.

Online bullying, hazing, harassment, stalking, 

discrimination, retaliation, and any other type of behavior 

that undermines dignity and respect are not consistent 

with Navy core values and negatively impact the force.

When conducting themselves online to include 

social media, Sailors and Navy civilians should:

• Consider what messages are being communicated 

and how they could be received

• Create or share content that is consistent with Navy 

values

• Only post if messages or content demonstrate 

dignity and respect for self and others

Deputy Secretary of Defense Policy Memorandum, Hazing 

and Bullying Prevention and Response in the Armed 

Forces, December 23, 2015, identifies hazing as so-called 

initiations or rites of passage in which individuals are 

subjected to physical or psychological harm. It identifies 

bullying as, “acts of aggression intended to single out 

individuals from their teammates or coworkers, or to 

exclude them from a military element, unit or Department 

of Defense organization.” Additionally, the memo states 

that hazing and bullying are unacceptable and are 

prohibited in all circumstances and environments, including 

off duty or unofficial unit functions and settings, as well as 

on social media and other digital environments.

Also, intimate images taken without consent, or posted online 

without consent may constitute violations of the Uniform 

Code of Military Justice and Navy Regulations. 

As outlined in the CNO’s Design for Maintaining 

Maritime Superiority core attributes, the Navy is a 

values-based organization where everyone is expected 

to conduct themselves in a manner that is, “always upright 

and honorable, both in public or when no one is looking.”

Joining Networks

Social media can be a positive tool for helping 

people with similar interests connect and interact. 

Sailors and Navy civilians should take care to 

ensure they are not participating in online or social 

media groups that do not reflect Navy core values, 

including groups that post graphic, obscene, explicit 

or racial comments, or groups posting comments 

that are abusive, hateful and vindictive, or intended 

to defame anyone or any organization. 

Setting Guidelines

Leaders should communicate social media expectations 

with their Sailors and Navy civilians. It is important to 

outline policy, making sure Sailors and Navy civilians 

know what they can and cannot do on social media and 

other online platforms. 

The UCMJ and Navy Regulations

When online, to include social media, Sailors are subject 

to the UCMJ and Navy Regulations, even when off 

duty. Commenting, posting or linking to material that 

violates the UCMJ or Navy Regulations may result 

in administrative or disciplinary action, to include 

administrative separation, and may subject civilians to 

appropriate disciplinary action.

Punitive action may include Articles 88, 89, 91, 92, 

120b, 120c, 133 or 134 (General Article provisions, 

Contempt, Disrespect, Insubordination, Indecent 

Language, Communicating a threat, Solicitation to 

commit another Offense, and Child Pornography 

offenses), as well as other articles, including Navy 

Regulations Article 1168, nonconsensual distribution 

or broadcast of an image. 

appendix Computer misuse (“hacking”)

A person engaging in cyber misconduct may 

also commit violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1030, if, for 

example, he or she exceeds authorized access to 

the computer or accesses the computer without 

authorization (i.e. hacks into an account or network) 

to send the harassing, intimidating, humiliating, or 

even threatening communication.

Reporting Incidents 

Any member of the Navy community who 

experiences or witnesses incidents of improper 

online behavior should promptly report it to their 

chain of command via the Command Managed Equal 

Opportunity manager or Fleet and Family Support 

office. Additional avenues for reporting include Equal 

Employment Opportunity offices, the Inspector 

General, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response 

offices and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. 

NCIS encourages anyone with knowledge of criminal 

activity to report it to their local NCIS field office directly 

or via web or smartphone app.

Specific instructions are available at 

http://www.ncis.navy.mil/pages/NCISTips.aspx.

Bottom Line

“Toxic behaviors...at work, at home, or on the internet – eat 

away at team cohesion and erode trust. Toxic behaviors 

cause us to hesitate, to second guess, to look over our 

shoulders instead of moving together at full speed. Toxic 

behaviors make us weaker; they cede advantage to the 

enemy. Toxic behaviors are NOT for winners, they are for 

losers. They have no place in our Navy.”

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson 

Behaviors with Legal Consequences

Electronic harassment

47 U.S.C. § 223 (a)(1)(C) makes it a crime to 

anonymously use a telecommunications device (i.e. 

telephone, computer, or other electronic device used 

for communication) to harass a person; 47 U.S.C § 

223 (a)(1)(E) prohibits initiating communications via a 

telecommunications device solely to harass the recipient.

Electronic threats

18 U.S.C § 875 prohibits transmitting communications 

containing threats to kidnap or physically injure 

someone. It also criminalizes the actions of someone 

who, with intent to export (receive anything of value), 

electronically threatens to injure the property or 

reputation of a person. “Sextortion” (being tricked 

into providing sexual images and then being asked for 

money to not have the images published online) may fall 

under provisions of this law.

Cyber stalking

18 U.S.C. § 2261A prohibits a person, with the intent 

to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate someone, from using 

a computer (or other digital communications system), to 

engage in actions (course of conduct) reasonably expected 

to cause a person (or immediate family member, spouse, 

or intimate partner) substantial emotional distress.

Obscenity

47 U.S.C. § 223(a)(1)(A) prohibits using a 

telecommunications device to make, create, or 

solicit, and transmit any obscene comment, request, 

suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication.

Child exploitation / Child sexual exploitation

18 U.S.C. § 2251, 2252, and 2252A. Using a computer 

(a smartphone is a “computer”) to solicit, make, create, 

transmit, or receive child pornography is illegal. For these 

provisions, a “child” is anyone under the age of 18. 18 

U.S.C. § 1462 makes it a crime to transmit obscene 

matters. 18 U.S.C. § 1470 criminalizes the transfer of 

obscene materials, to include digital images, to persons 

under the age of 16. Sending sexually explicit (graphic “dirty” 

talk) electronic messages to minors, or soliciting sexually 

explicit communications, also are criminal offenses.
32 The navy social media handbook Appendix The navy social media handbook 33 WWW.NAVY.M I L / S O C I A L M E D I A

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Security

When online, at work or afterhours, know how to protect yourself and the Navy. There are countries, criminals and 

hackers that are actively going after you as a Sailor and Navy civilian. Some are trying to get information from you 

and damage the Navy’s networks; some are trying to get information about you so they can steal your identity and 

attack you personally, financially, or worse. They are looking for the weakest link in the online environment.

How to be a hard target:

• Keep your technology up to date (computer, phone, 

tablet, etc.). Whenever you get a software update at 

work or at home, run it. These are typically patches 

for recent security vulnerabilities.

• Beware of tracking your location. Many social media 

platforms allow for “check in” and broadcast your 

location, or automatically add location information 

to photos and posts.

• Stay away from public Wi-Fi. With a public internet 

connection, you run the risk of being hacked. If you 

must use a public Wi-Fi connection, there are some 

things you can do to be safer:

• Don’t shop or go to your bank accounts on 

public Wi-Fi.

• Only go to sites that use a secure connection 

(indicated by an “HTTPS” in their web address). 

This means they use encryption to protect 

your information.

• Use a Virtual Public Network (VPN). This is a 

service you pay for that gives you a secure 

connection wherever you are. 

• If available, use two-factor authentication. 

Anyone trying to pretend to be you won’t be 

able to access your accounts because they 

won’t have your phone or computer.

• Set login notifications on all your accounts so 

when someone tries to login from a new location you get an email and can take proactive 

action if necessary.

• Backup your data. Frequently backup data at home 

and in the workplace. Many commercial cloud 

and physical storage devices will encrypt data 

automatically for extra protection.

Strong password protocols:

• The best password is a string of at least 12-15 

random characters containing numbers, upper and 

lower case letters and symbols.

• Don’t try and remember all passwords for all 

platforms and devices. Use a password manager.

• Do not share passwords.

• Don’t use the same password for more than one 

site or device. 

• Never reuse an old password.

• Answer security questions creatively. Sites 

often have security questions that use personal 

information to help you recover or reset a password. 

For example: Hackers can deduce the answers 

from social media accounts to make attempts at 

changing an individual’s password, locking them 

out and stealing valuable data. Make this harder by 

either giving a different response to the question 

or padding your response with something no one 

knows but you such as adding a special character at 

the end of a response.

• Put passwords on all of your devices and put a 

strong password on your network at home. This 

includes changing the default password on personal 

routers at home.

Online Safety and Best Practices

There are a lot of reasons to go online: research, entertainment, chat, shopping, games, etc. While online, there are best 

practices that will help prevent the compromise of personal information and reputation. What happens online stays 

online and can have real-world impacts on a Sailor or Navy civilian where they work, at home, and with friends and loved 

ones years after. 

Rules of the road for our Sailors and Navy civilians online:

When you are online, you are in public ... so act like it.

• Don’t do or say anything online you wouldn’t do or say in public. Keep relationships and personal life private.

• Treat everyone online how you’d like to be treated. The “Golden Rule” applies even online.

There is no such thing as complete anonymity online.

• “My user name is B@stSailrEvr, no one will figure out who I am.” Wrong, the people you know will recognize you. 

And Google, Amazon and other online services that are designed to capture your online habits to optimize your 

experience will recognize you. 

Online habits leave digital footprints. 

Before you hit send, stop and think ...

• Words and things you say matter.

• Images can be taken out of context.

• Cool off before responding to messages in anger.

• You’ll never agree with everyone online.

• Respect others’ opinions.

• Anyone, anywhere can see what you post.

... the internet doesn’t forget.

• It is very easy for bad actors to save a screenshot, download an image, or do something else to make sure a 

moment online lasts an eternity.

• Anything shared online, although intended to be private and confidential, has the possibility to become public – 

if it is best left unsaid, do not say it. If you don’t want it shared, don’t post it.

• Protect your privacy and your friends’ privacy too by not sharing without their permission.

• And unless you’re prepared to attach that post, text or photo to your next college application, security clearance 

package, or resume, again, stop and think before you post.
34 The navy social media handbook Appendix