BOP Program Statement 1480.06 § 5

a. Digital Media Governance. The Bureau reserves the right, at its own discretion, to create

more restrictive rules governing use of social media, per DOJ policy 0300.02.02.

■ Asset Management. Digital Media assets including photos and videos must be cleared

for public release and comply with privacy rules.

■ Storage, Security, and Retention/Disposal. The Bureau will comply with federal record

statutory and regulatory requirements, as well as the DOJ's policies and guidance, for

managing federal records created within, or posted to, social media.

 will identify or develop applicable records retention schedules that cover record

content created within components or posted to social media.

 will prevent deletion or disposition of any records created or captured using social

media, except in accordance with approved records disposition authority in the

form of an applicable General Records Schedule or an approved agency records

retention schedule.

 will ensure that any publicly posted content issued by Capstone Officials (or any

user delegated authority by the Capstone Official to communicate on their behalf)

be treated as permanent records in accordance with approved Capstone records

retention schedules and DOJ policies on Capstone Officials’ records.

1480.06 6/22/2026 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 15

■ Security. The Bureau will follow security practices outlined in annual Security

Awareness training and password requirements available in Bureau Information

Security and DOJ Cybersecurity policies and standards.

 Passwords, access, and recovery. Passwords must be securely stored by an SMC and

access limited to those with a need to know to ensure continuity of operations. An

approved government email may be used for multi-factored authentication. Password

information must be limited to authorized staff only.

 Directories. The SMCs must ensure that all of the Bureau’s official social media accounts

are registered with the U.S. Digital Registry and the DOJ’s Social Media Directory.

Disposal. No AV production (including limited-use, low-cost productions) will be

disposed of without prior clearance from the Director of the OCPA, or designee.

 Exemptions. AV productions and equipment that are exempt from the provisions of this

program statement are:

i. Still photography prints, slides, enlargements, and audiotapes, unless used for a

slide presentation or exhibition in which the total production and processing cost

exceeds $5,000.

ii. Graphic artwork.

iii. Any product resulting from surveillance or evidentiary procedures or from the

need for incident documentation.

iv. Products provided through the exclusive use of photomechanical, cartographic, x-

ray or microfilm/fiche/form methods, or products resulting from photo-instrumentation, or items with a security classification of confidential or higher.

v. Video equipment purchases intended primarily for surveillance, incident

documentation, or other criminal or evidentiary purposes.

vi. Information updates, conference summaries, or other programs that are marked to

show a useful life of less than one year or materials produced for one-time

dissemination to staff.

b. Content Standards and Compliance. Writers must use plain language techniques when

drafting content for social media purposes.

Content posted by DOJ staff on social media accounts will comply with Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. §794d). Under Section 508, agencies must

give staff members with disabilities and members of the public access to information that is

comparable to access available to others.

The video portion of any AV production will be closed-captioned for hearing impaired viewers.

All public-facing and inmate-facing media must comply with Section 508 and Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), including captions and, when necessary, transcripts or audio

descriptions.

1480.06 6/22/2026 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 16

The Bureau will comply with all applicable federal privacy laws including, but not limited to, the

Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-347, 116 Stat. 2899),

OMB Memorandum M-10-23, the DOJ's website privacy policy, and the DOJ's policies and

guidance for managing and protecting PII (DOJ Order 0601).

The Bureau will ensure that all social media tools are covered by a Privacy Impact Assessment

(PIA), when required by law or policy, prior to the use of a social media tool.

The Bureau will, to the extent feasible, post a privacy notice on all social media accounts. The

privacy notice must include:

■ An explanation that the social media tool is not a DOJ website or application; that it is

controlled or operated by a third party; and that individuals may wish to review the

privacy policies of those third-party web sites or applications before using them to

understand how and when those websites collect, use, and share the information

individuals make available by using their services;

■ An explanation of how the component will maintain, use, and/or share PII that becomes

available through the use of the social media tool, as required by law, OMB guidelines,

and DOJ policy.

■ An explanation that, by using the social media tool to communicate with the Bureau,

individuals may be providing non-governmental third parties access to PII;

■ A link directing users to the Bureau’s official website;

■ A link directing users to the Bureau’s website privacy policy; and

■ A link to any applicable adapted or other PIAs.

The Bureau will follow the Executive Branch and DOJ standards and requirements, particularly

the guidance on the Hatch Act of 1939 (5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–732).

The following conditions are to be adhered to as it pertains to the use of social media:

Social media may not be used to endorse any product, service, or enterprise or give the

appearance of governmental sanction, except in furtherance of statutory and official authority to

promote products, services, or enterprises.

Social media may not be used in a manner intended to induce, coerce, or otherwise further the

individual private gain of government officials or the private gain of persons or organizations

with which the officials are affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity.

Social media may not be used to publish non-public information or information clearly

unauthorized for disclosure. If a component is unsure whether information is public, the

component must consult with an authorized designee, to determine the status of the information

at issue before taking any action to disclose the information to the public.

1480.06 6/22/2026 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 17

1480.06 6/22/2026 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 18

Social media may not be used to engage with or endorse politicians, their staff, or any group or

individual that is engaged in political activity, as covered by the Hatch Act of 1939. The Hatch

Act defines political activity as an activity directed toward the success or failure of a political

party, a candidate for partisan political office, or a partisan political group.

Because linking to or reposting opinion content can imply endorsement of the opinion expressed,

the OPA will consult with the Office of General Counsel prior to linking or reposting opinion

content. This includes opinion content expressing approval of Bureau actions, unless the opinion

content was authored by a current federal governmental official writing about their office’s

mission. For further explanation on how the Bureau may dispel the impression of endorsement,

see DOJ Policy 0300.02.02, Section D.

■ Governmental Entity Content. The Bureau may link to or repost content generated by

government organizations, including federal, state, tribal, intergovernmental and

international organizations where the United States is a member if the content is in

compliance with all other policies.

■ Nongovernmental Entity Content. The Bureau may link to or repost nongovernment

content if the non-governmental content: (a) is related to or would otherwise advance the

DOJ's mission or work or (b) serves a valid law enforcement or other DOJ interest.

Because linking to or reposting content may in some circumstances imply endorsement of

the entity and/or the content that is being reposted, components are strongly encouraged

to consult with their Ethics Official, communications/public affairs office, and/or general

counsel's office before linking to or reposting content from nongovernmental sources.

c. AV Production and Archival Oversight.

■ Director and Executive Staff Video Production. AV productions involving the Director

or Executive Staff must be scheduled in advance through the Office of the Director’s

Executive Assistant and/or Secretariat. Proposed scripts or talking points must be

submitted to the OCPA prior to filming, with final materials due at least 15 days before

production. Virtual participation, remote recording, and digital scheduling tools may be

used when appropriate.

■ A V Library. The OCPA will serve as the repository for AV productions.

d. Official Presence and Public Engagement Standards.

■ Agency Branding. Content will include appropriate branding to distinguish the Bureau's

activities from those of nongovernment actors.

■ Reference to Official Bureau Website. A link to the Bureau’s official website must be

visible on all social media accounts.

■ Account Visibility. All social media postings must be public.

■ Moderating Comments from the Public. Many social media tools allow for the

submission of user-generated content. Moderating comments, including censoring and

deleting, is generally prohibited. In exigent and extraordinary situations (threats,

unauthorized posting of PH, cyber-attack risk, etc.), the Bureau must contact the OCPA or

its component security office for guidance. In addition, the Bureau may consider whether

the user comment violates the terms of service of the social media site. If so, the user

comment may be reported to the social media site as a violation of its terms of service per

the site's reporting requirements.

■ Directly Interacting with the Public. Official DOJ social media accounts must refrain

from interacting directly with an individual, organization, or any other member of the

public through social media (specifically, responding to a post or comment by another

user) given privacy, records, ethics, and other concerns generated by such interactions.

■ Linking. The Bureau social media content may provide links to sites that require a paid

subscription (sometimes referred to as a "pay wall"), but it must not indicate in any way

that it is encouraging members of the public to subscribe. A disclaimer must be placed on

the profile to make clear to the public that the Bureau is not encouraging subscription.

■ Direct Messaging. Direct messaging is not permitted. When possible, the function must

be disabled. When possible, public message threads must be closed (i.e., the public's

commenting on or replying to government posting must not be permitted).

1480.06 6/22/2026 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 19

REFERENCES

Program Statements

Release of Information

Audiovisual Productions

Bureau Forms Prescribed by 1480

BP-A0232 Media Representative’s Agreement

BP-A0233 News Interview Authorization

BP-A0928 Audiovisual Production Proposal

Federal Statutes

5 U.S.C. § 552a, The Privacy Act of 1974

5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–7326, The Hatch Act of 1939

29 U.S.C. §794d, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

44 U.S.C. § 3501, The E-Government Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-347, 116 Stat. 2899

Department of Justice Policy

DOJ Policy 0300.02 series (1/10/2018): Use of Social Media to Communicate with the Public,

Social Media Account Management and Approval (0300.02.01), and Social Media Content

Management Requirements and Procedures (0300.02.02)

DOJ Order 0601, Privacy and Civil Liberties, (5/14/2020)

DOJ Order 2520.3C, Audiovisual, Graphics, and Photographic Activities, (7/16/1991)

DOJ Privacy Policy, (5/23/2025)

Other References

OMB Memorandum M-10-23 titled “Guidance for Agency Use of Third-Party Websites and

Applications” (6/25/2010)

ACA Standards

Performance-Based Standards and Expected Practices for Adult Correctional Facilities (5th

Edition): 5-ACI-1A-22

Performance-Based Standards and Expected Practices for Adult Correctional Facilities (5th

Edition): 5-ALDF-7F-01

Standards for the Administration of Correctional Agencies (2nd Edition): 2-CO-1A-25

Records Retention Requirements

Requirements and retention guidance for records and information applicable to this program are

available in the Records and Information Disposition Schedule (RIDS) on the Bureau’s intranet

site.

1480.06 6/22/2026 Federal Regulations from 28 CFR: this type. Implementing instructions: this type. 20