The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Integrity & Social Media in the Public Sector

The Internet and especially Web 2.0 caused a rapid and still increasing development in the use of social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This trend also takes place within the public sector, and is not without problems. Digital slip-ups, but also inadequate organisational responses to these new channels of communication may lead to integrity issues if core public values – such as reliability, impartiality, loyalty, confidentiality, objectivity, accuracy and ministerial responsibility1 – are compromised. This policy paper adresses key issues, considerations and recommandations on the use of social media from an integrity perspective. Although the paper is primarily based on the Dutch context and experiences, it also connects with current developments and debates in other countries. As such it refers to good social media practices within several EU countries.