Social Media Safety for Electeds
As an elected official, part of your personal safety plan should include learning about digital safety practices, setting clear boundaries, and executing regular audits of all your social media accounts. Below are some key social media safety tips from Women’s Democracy Lab’s intensive safety planning workshops, which we created in collaboration with Sujata Tejwani, a trusted expert within the progressive space for the past three decades.
Note: These tips should be used when auditing both personal and campaign social media accounts.
Decide what information will be shared publicly.
Will you keep your social media public or private? Limiting who can view your posts is an extra layer of protection. However, if you will keep your account public, decide exactly what personal information you will and will not share publicly.
During your audit, search for inactive or outdated social media accounts and delete them if they are no longer in use.
Have a trusted friend review your personal social media.
We sometimes get blinders when it comes to self-audit. Ask someone you trust to act as your eyes and to identify photos or posts that should be set to private or removed completely.
Be mindful of location sharing.
Disable location tracking features in your social media app settings. Be aware of posts giving away your location, both specifically (ex. geo-tagging) and via context clues (ex. recognizable landmarks in the background). Avoid real-time posting of information like your location, vacations, family photos, or other details that could be used to track you. Request that family members follow these same suggestions.
Set clear online boundaries.
Define what type of online interactions you will engage with and communicate these boundaries to your family and your support team.
Use features like blocking, muting, or hiding replies on social platforms to reduce visibility of abusive content. Think strategically about the optics of blocking, and what (if any) blowback there might be.
Document and capture threatening messages and emails in screenshots and save in a folder available to you, key staff, and loved ones. Social Media platform tools to block and report harassing or threatening individuals are not always useful and are often ignored by the tech platforms. If possible, assign a trusted loved one, staffer, or team member to manage this folder for you.
Lastly, make sure you take time offline.
Regularly step away from social media and delegate social media management duties to other team members when needed. Ensure your team supports taking breaks from social media.
Looking for more safety plan strategies? Apply to join our members-only community to gain access to specialized workshops, training opportunities, and resources.
