(Jamaica Observer) Police Commissioner Owen Ellington, has warned members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to be careful in their use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Speaking in this week’s force orders, Ellington, urged cops to be more careful with the information they post on these websites about themselves and activities within the constabulary.
“Personal social media sites are of potential safety and privacy risks to police employees and others if not carefully managed. Disclosing too much private information on social media makes a person easy to locate both on-line and off-line. This vulnerability creates a risk of identity theft, fraud, theft, physical attack, stalking, harassment and intimidation,” he said.
He said cops who post sensitive information such as their date of birth and spouse or parents’ names, can give criminals enough information to answer the security questions a bank will ask before giving them access to financial information or bank accounts.
“More importantly, the nature of police work exposes police employees to the risk of offenders seeking revenge. Social media sites with easily accessible personal information provide a simple and effective means to locate an officer and their family or friends.
It is strongly recommended that to protect themselves, family and friends, police staff (sworn and unsworn) should never identify themselves either directly or indirectly as Police Force employees on social sites,” he said.
Ellington also recommended that members of the constabulary limit the amount of personal information they post on social sites.
“Employees should think seriously about the risks involved to themselves, family and friends if they choose to include personal information about themselves or others in posts or social media sites, such as names, dates of birth, home or work addresses, private or work email addresses or telephone numbers, relationship status or any other personal information like photographs that may be useful for identity thieves or criminals seeking revenge,” he said.
