Dutch government develops stricter rules for official Facebook use

On Monday 2 November, the Dutch national government was reported to be developing a policy framework for ministries and other public institutions using Facebook and other social media platforms. The framework would require institutions to assess whether an official presence is justified, how visitors’ personal information is protected and how use could be ended if needed.

The proposed approach is based on a “Nee, tenzij”, or “No, unless”, principle. A Dutch government investigation identified seven risks involving the personal information of people who visit official Facebook pages, and the Dutch Data Protection Authority advised against continued use unless those risks could be addressed.

The Dutch government has decided to keep its Facebook pages for the time being. Talks with Meta, Facebook’s owner, did not produce an agreement on proposals to prevent the company from using information collected from visitors to government pages.

The framework would concern official government accounts, rather than civil servants’ private Facebook use. It is expected to set stricter conditions than earlier guidance from the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, while not automatically applying to Sint Maarten.