The world of social media is constantly changing, with new sites, apps and messaging services cropping up every day. As a result, it’s important to ensure your guidance and policies regarding social media are kept up to date to protect your business, by reflecting changing laws, technologies and business practices.
The Risks of Social Media in the Workplace
Recent news reports revealed that British Airways has banned its staff from posting anything while they are “professionally engaged” to prevent sensitive data from being leaked accidentally. While this move has been unpopular with some employees with large online followings, the airline has defended its actions, citing the potential risk of unintentional data breaches.
A new social media platform, BeReal, goes against the grain of highly curated, filtered, or “fake” content on sites like Facebook and Instagram. Rather, BeReal only lets users post once a day, sending an alert to all users at the same time to snap a picture of whatever they are doing – both from the front and back camera. While this may seem harmless, it can lead to staff inadvertently posting confidential information from documents on their desk or computer screen, resulting in potential unauthorised disclosure of employer’s confidential and proprietary information, infringement of 3rd party intellectual property rights and reputational damage.
How Employers Can Protect Their Business and Employees
To guard against the risks of social media, employers should ensure they have a robust social media policy and provide regular training to remind staff of the risks. Employers should ensure that the policy is made widely available and enforced consistently. The policy should contain guidelines on the appropriate use of social media at work, awareness of company reputation, and procedures for data leaks..
In regulated sectors, it’s crucial to stress the importance of company confidentiality and data protection and any guidance and procedure from the regulatory authority. If a data leak occurs due to social media usage, prompt action is vital. Those in regulated industries should report the leak to the correct authority and follow their given procedure to the letter.
In a nutshell
Keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of social media is critical for employers to protect their businesses and employees. By updating social media policies and providing regular training to employees, employers can reduce the risk of unintentional data breaches and safeguard their company’s reputation.
If you’re an employer who needs advice on navigating a data leak or ensuring your policy is airtight, contact our employment solicitors at 0161 969 3131 or fill in our contact form, and one of our colleagues will be in touch as soon as possible.