Federal Govt. Wary of Social Media's Records and Privacy Implications

The Government Accountability Office released a report on July 22 entitled Challenges in Federal Agencies' Use of Web 2.0 Technologies. The report highlights concerns with how data is submitted, stored, used, and shared via third-party social media sites, often outside agencies' control. Federal agencies, and their state counterparts in most states, are subject to broad mandates relating to how records are to be stored and retrieved, and how individuals' data is classified and protected. Services like Facebook, notorious for privacy leaks and difficult-to-understand privacy settings, make it hard for government entities to track and retain data as the law requires. However, the federal government has been renegotiating social media terms of use in anticipation of these challenges.

The report also highlights the potential for social media to "better include the public in the governing process" and enhance agencies' services and missions.

The lessons of this report apply to local governments as well, many of which are subject to similarly strict laws for records retention and public information.