Provided by:

Information Technology Office (ITO),

Regional Operations & Plans Division (ROPD)

Social Media and Operations Security Information Technology Security Education and Awareness

• What is Operations Security (OPSEC)?

• Balancing OPSEC with Police Community

Relations (PCR ) and public information

• PNP organization and Operations Security

• How can social media and open

communication make the PNP organization

more robust

• Setting the Rules of Engagement

Overview

• OPSEC = Operations Security

– Protection of classified,

sensitive, or need-to-know

information

– Proprietary information, insider

information, trade secrets, etc.

• All organizations have their own

form of Operations Security –

information that must be protected.

What is Operation Security?

What are they (CRIMINALS) looking for: – Names/photographs of important people

– Present and future capabilities

– Meetings of top officials their agendas

– Critical Information such as:

• Location of formations & units

• Readiness and countermeasures

• Police Station Capability

• Police station security plans

• Amount of lighting

• Exterior size and shape of buildings

• Number of personnel/officers

• Ammunition depot locations

– Shifting schedules of personnel/ Leave policies

– Degree & speed of mobilization or reaction time

What is OPSEC? 98% of the enemy info

gathering are internal

source and open source

• The PNP, LEAs and other government organizations,

have communications concerns other organizations do

not

• Release of inappropriate information can result in

institutional damage, physical harm, lost of lives, or

severe damage to property

• Examples:

– Plans

– Premature investigation disclosures

– Routes or patrols and placements that are

available or are being employed

– Vulnerabilities of defensive dispositions

– Vulnerabilities to attack

– Vulnerabilities / capabilities of units, weapons

systems

– Shortages in medical specialties/personnel

– Unit locations (grid coordinates, cities, etc.)

– Date/time of arrivals/departures of troops, patrols,

personnel shifting

Balancing OPSEC with PCR

The objective of OPSEC is to make oneself or the organization a “hard target”

– Make it more difficult for an adversary or enemy to identify and exploit vulnerabilities or the organization

– Don’t post or publish personal or organizational critical information in public venues, including social media.

– Do not speak of or write any on-going investigation, operations, deployment of troops, plans etc. that is critical information that might jeopardize operations, endanger the victim, witnesses or put the PNP organization in bad light.

PNP organization and

Operations Security (OPSEC)

• Set profiles to “private” or “friends-only” to limit the threat of public information being used against you – Enemies can gather information about you or your family members

• Rises in home robberies because people have been revealing when they go on leave or vacation

– Enemies can gather information about bases and capabilities by reading your profile • Pictures of quarters, vehicles, defense positions in your photo albums

• Photos of formations, placement of security , check points, routes etc.

• “Checking in” via Tweeting at morning formation

– Be careful of using location-based services that make your location public • Example: Repeatedly revealing your location enables strangers to track your

movements.

And if you are linked with a spouse or child, they can be tracked, too.

• Think about: – Posting geo-taggd photos on sites such as Facebook

– Facebook Places

– Twitter

Social Media and OPSEC at Home

or at the Police Office

• If someone hack your accounts, they

can potentially use it in a malicious or

demoralizing manner or put you in a

criminal or administrative liability.

• They could send messages that

would appear to be from you to

thwart rescue efforts or put others in

harms way.

Social Media and OPSEC in the

office or during fieldwork

Are your passwords safe and up-to-date?

What if your account was hacked or you were

coerced into providing password?

• Social media is another great tool to get your public

information and advisory out.

• Social media allows your audience to dialogue with

you and others.

• Social media can be used to conduct investigations.

Social media can make the PNP

organization more dynamic and robust

• Mitigate the risk of using social

media by educating the PNP

personnel and family members

• Think about what you post and

what people can figure out about

you or the organization

• It all goes back to OPSEC, PNP

Ethical Doctrine and PNP Code of

Conduct and Classified

Information Handling

Social Media, Educate vs. Regulate

• PRO 12 Memorandum on Delegation of Authority – Approval of Posting

of Contents in All Official PRO12 Facebook, Twitter and Other Social

Media Network Presence

• PRO 12 Memorandum on Security Consciousness and Discipline in

using the Internet inside the Office

• PRO 12 Memorandum Guidelines in the Proper Utilization of Internet

Service, Computer System and Network Related Resources

• PNP MC No. 2012-003 – Policy Guidelines on Security Consciousness

and Secrecy Discipline in the Recording, Uploading, Posting or

Dissemination of Information via the Internet or through other

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Devices by the PNP

Personnel

• PNP CMC No. 14-13 – Regulated Access to and Use of Social

Networking Websites

References at PRO 12 Website

http://pro12.pnp.gov.ph

Social media is an excellent public information and

collaboration internet tool, but operating within PNP

regulations and established policies can mean either a

successful social media campaign, a public relation

nightmare or disastrous police operation.

Remember

Homepage: http://www.pro12.gov.ph Twitter: https://twitter.com/pro12pio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoliceRegionalOffice12pnpPro12

Regional Information Technology Officer Regional Operations & Plans Division (ROPD)