Social media has become an essential tool for communication and promotion by community organisations. But it can come with associated privacy risks. One option for community groups to mitigate some of the risks associated with social media is to develop an overarching policy for your organisation. The policy should clearly state what staff and/or volunteers may or may not do on your organisation’s social media accounts. Be mindful that the account is a reflection of the values of the organisation.
Keeping your community safe online
Netsafe is New Zealand’s independent online safety organisation that provides education on preventing online bullying and abuse, scams and security breaches. For helpful tips on staying safe and keeping others safe online, visit their website. Netsafe’s resources include information on:
- Online bullying abuse and harrassment
- Preventing ransomware attacks
- Two-Factor authentication
- Emailing hacking
- Backing up your data
- Using a VPN to improve your security
Accidental spamming
The UEM Act prohibits organisations sending an “unsolicited commercial electronic message” that is commercial in nature. Therefore, if you are sending an email that is for marketing or promoting goods or services, you must ensure that you have the consent of the recipient.
If you do have the consent of the recipient to send the message to them, make sure that you identify yourself clearly within the message itself, how you can be contacted and provide a “functional unsubscribe facility” in the message (so that the person can tell the community venue to stop sending such messages).