Does the Department of Homeland Security Need a Better Social Media Strategy? (H.R. 623)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 623?
(Updated February 13, 2019)
This bill was enacted on November 5, 2015
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a workgroup that can offer guidance and best practice tips to federal employees for how to use social media. Specifically, using social media for announcing and updating the public on a terrorist attack, or other national emergency.
The legislation defines who gets to participate in the workgroup — including over 20 social media mavens from federal, state, local, and tribal governments, plus folks from private non-government organizations. All these experts would have to meet twice a year (either in person or virtually). And, after all the social media guidance has been doled out, the workgroup would be required to write up an annual report for Congress outlining what was learned, including the "emerging trends" in emergency response on social media.
Argument in favor
Emergency social media posts from the government can easily get lost in the flood of other posts — DHS needs a better plan for making sure the word gets out.
Argument opposed
Or, DHS could just google "social media dos and don'ts" for emergency tweeting and posting, y'know, save us all some money?
Impact
People in the U.S. with social media accounts that are near danger or national emergency situations, the Department of Homelands Security, and other federal agencies that monitor and respond to national emergencies.
Cost of H.R. 623
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. However, in an estimate of the bill's former version (H.R. 4263), the CBO found that implementation would cost less than $500,000 every year — if funding is available.
Additional Info
Of Note: It is undeniable that emergency response has been altered by the presence of social media, especially in the case of natural disasters. As noted in an article by Dina Fine Maron in
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, Facebook was the new kid on the block. There was no Twitter for news updates, and the iPhone was not yet on the scene. By the time Hurricane Sandy slammed the eastern seaboard [in 2012], social media had become an integral part of disaster response, filling the void in areas where cell phone service was lost while millions of Americans looked to resources including Twitter and Facebook to keep informed, locate loved ones, notify authorities and express support. Gone are the days of one-way communication where only official sources provide bulletins on disaster news."
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