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Social Media Rules of Engagement for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) uses Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to engage and communicate clearly, quickly and in a user-friendly manner with Canadians on their communication system. The following information applies to the CRTC's official social media accounts, including:

Any other account or channel on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or any other social media platform bearing the CRTC name is not an official CRTC account.

Content

In creating our content, we recognize that the CRTC is considered an authority on some issues and is expected to contribute to the online conversation in a considered and thoughtful way. We make an effort to communicate in a direct and realistic voice. Our content is factual, engaging and informative. Some of the content on our social media accounts includes:

The CRTC will not use social media to update the public on the status of complaints or investigations.

Content available on the CRTC's social media accounts should not be considered an authoritative source of CRTC decisions, notices, etc. Any change or evolution in the CRTC's official position will be communicated through more traditional channels: official publications, speeches, statements to the traditional media and on the CRTC website.

Comments and Interaction

Comments are welcome on our social media accounts. The CRTC will read comments and participate in discussions when appropriate. We ask that your comments be relevant and respectful.

We reserve the right to delete comments that violate our Rules of Engagement, and the user may be blocked and reported to prevent further inappropriate comments. Comments posted that violate Canadian law may be deleted or disclosed to law enforcement authorities. The CRTC may also take steps to remove or block a user when that user is obviously an Internet robot and may report users to Twitter, Facebook or YouTube if they do not comply with their respective terms of service.

We cannot engage in issues of party politics or answer questions that break our Rules of Engagement.

We reserve the right to edit or remove comments that:

In short, please be respectful and make sure that your comments are relevant to where they are posted. The views of users commenting on our social media accounts do not necessarily represent the views of the CRTC or the Government of Canada. The CRTC does not endorse any of the views expressed.

If you disagree with a comment, you are welcome to respond. If you feel someone has violated the Rules of Engagement, click on the Report link and indicate the problem.

Participation in public proceedings

Unless otherwise specified, messages and comments submitted through the CRTC's official social media accounts will not be used as part of our public proceedings or form part of the public record.

If users wish to participate in the CRTC's public proceedings, they may visit the CRTC website.

Following, "Favouriting" and Subscribing

Our decision to "follow," "favourite" or "subscribe" to another social media account does not imply an endorsement of that account, channel, page or site. We may "follow," "favourite" or "subscribe" to accounts that we believe are relevant to our mandate and our work. Similarly, the appearance of a user as a follower or a subscriber of the CRTC accounts does not imply endorsement of any kind.

Sharing content

Sharing content from another user (i.e. retweeting, reposting or linking to) does not imply endorsement on the part of the CRTC, nor should it be taken as an indication of a possible shift in the CRTC's current official position. We may share news, links and personal observations we believe are relevant to the communication system.

Embedding Videos on Other Websites

The CRTC permits its videos to be embedded on other websites. This feature may be disabled at any time without prior notice by the CRTC or any third-party site. The CRTC will not be responsible for any damages resulting from the disabling of such function.

Direct and private messages

The CRTC will do its utmost to read and reply to all direct and private messages sent to the extent that they are relevant to the CRTC mandate and that we are able to reply without violating confidentiality or other sensitive topics. The CRTC will not respond to message containing offensive or abusive language.

Questions, complaints and media requests

Please visit our website to seek additional information on a particular issue. We encourage you to use traditional channels to make a request for media interviews, to ask a question or to file a complaint online.

Please note that the CRTC will not acknowledge complaints sent via its social media accounts.

Comments on the work or professional duties of individual CRTC employees will not be acknowledged.

CRTC staff on social media

Some CRTC staff have social media accounts under their own names or usernames. Despite their professional affiliation with the CRTC, their posts/tweets do not represent the official position of the organization, and should be considered the product of each individual as a private citizen.

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