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
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)