Social

social dpc

The social profiles of the Department of Civil Protection of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers are important tools to inform and raise awareness of civil protection issues following the different phases of the activity: forecasting, prevention, risk reduction, management and overcoming emergencies.

The information and communication of civil protection are of public utility and are therefore declined in a multi-channel logic to reach all citizens. For this reason, the institutional website of the Department, which remains the space where all institutional contents are published, is flanked by other sites dedicated to campaigns, projects, specific activities and the presence on the main social networking/social media platforms.

The Department is present on X and Facebook as @DPCgov, on YouTube and Flickr as Civil Protection Department.

The social media policy is inspired by the principles and standards developed by the working table #socialProCiv
They are managed by the Press Office of the Department.
The profiles are manned seven days a week, from 8.00 to 20.00.

When an emergency occurs, the management of accounts will inevitably undergo changes, both in terms of content - giving priority to information related to the event that is being followed than to the ordinary - and in terms of interaction with users and moderation, due to the extraordinary commitment of the people who manage the channels.

  • information about the Department and the National Service of Civil Protection activities
  • contents from the institutional website www.protezionecivile.gov.it
  • important news from institutional sources and/or from the National Service of Civil Protection
  • articles and interviews on relevant topics related to the Department, speeches and statements of the Head of Department and institutional bodies
  • the Department may occasionally contribute with content moderation activities in order to provide links or relevant information to address doubts or to promote discussion.
  • in the early stages of a national emergency the reading of comments and the moderation of content is not guaranteed
  • Direct Message/Facebook Messenger functionality is not available.
     

Different social accounts contributes to spread information about the activities of the Department and the National Service, to meet institutional and general interest purposes, to inform and raise awareness on civil protection.

Unless expressly mentioned a different attribution, the photos and videos published on social profiles are produced by the Communication and Culture Service of the Civil Protection Department. The content published by the Department (texts, photographs, videos, etc..) are protected by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, any user may use the data and documents published by the Department in compliance with copyright and with the requirement of indicating the source, without prejudice to the right of the Department to safeguard its image in case of improper or harmful use. Images can be used with acknowledgement of the source: Department of Civil Protection-Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Social content may occasionally be shared on social channels by subjects belonging to the National Service (state administrations, regions and autonomous provinces, prefectures, municipalities, fire departments, armed forces and police, organized civil protection volunteers, scientific community, operators of essential public services ...).

The eventual advertising space in the sidelines of the social content published by the Department depends on the managers of the platforms.

Under no circumstances the social pages of the Department can answer to requests for assistance, which should be addressed exclusively to the single emergency number 112,  or other dedicated numbers (113, 115, 118, 1515, 1530 etc.).

For general information on civil protection activities, refer to the Contact Center of the Department (toll free number 800 840 840 active from 8.00 to 20.00 from Monday to Saturday or via online form). In situation of crisis or emergency the Contact Center can be available every day, with gradual extensions up to 24h.

Social networks represent a space for participation and the presence of the Department is aimed to be a means to bring into daily conversations the theme of prevention and risk awareness, a topic discussed only in context of an emergency.
People willing to intervene are responsible for the content they post and the opinions they express, which do not necessarily reflect the position of the Department, which cannot be made accountable for the posts of third parties. The choice to follow a profile or a page does not imply any kind of approval on the contents posted on it.

Moderation by the Department takes place after publication and generally during office hours.
All users are asked to use language that is respectful of others. Comments and posts that violate the conditions set forth in this document or any applicable law will be moderated or removed.

In particular, we will not tolerate insults, profanity, threats, misleading or offensive content, or attitudes that violate the dignity of people, the rights of minorities and children, the principles of freedom and equality, or that do not respect people's privacy. Comments or posts that contain personal data and information (phone number, email address, address ...) will be removed. Also, content that violates copyright or unauthorized use of trademarks, commercial solicitations and comments that support or encourage illegal activities will not be allowed.
The following comments are also discouraged and subject to moderation:

 

  • off topic comments
  • political or propaganda content
  • comments which disturb the discussion or offend those who manage and moderate the social channels
  • containing spam

In respect of those who violate these rules of use, the Department reserves the right to consider the use of the ban, the block or the report to the managers of the social platform, and if necessary to the police.

The social media platforms are responsible for the level of IT accessibility guaranteed to their users but, as matters stand, the technical requirements of individual social platforms are not fully consistent with the accessibility requirements to which the Public Administration is required to comply with. The Department is committed to prioritizing, according to what is allowed by each social media platform, the use of accessible features and content.

The processing of personal data meets the policies in use on the different platforms (X, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr), according to the general terms and conditions accepted by users at the time of subscription. It is worth remembering that the law sets the minimum age for consent to the processing of personal data at the age of 14 years.

The Civil Protection Department provides for the processing of personal data shared by users and considered relevant to its institutional activities, in accordance with current legislation, including the European GDPR. The treatment is carried out through computerized procedures, according to the procedures and limits necessary to pursue the above purposes. It remains clear that social profiles are not rescue channels. The data controller is the Presidency of the Council of Ministers-Department of Civil Protection with registered office in Via Ulpiano 11, 00193 Rome, protezionecivile@pec.governo.it.

The person in charge of data protection designated by the owner is the lawyer Eugenio Cipolla.

Users may exercise their rights relating to access, rectification, cancellation (so-called right to be forgotten), limitation etc. of personal data in accordance with the provisions of current Italian law and the European GDPR (Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18). These rights can be exercised by contacting the Owner through the following e-mail address: protezionecivile@pec.governo.it.

Please note that personal and sensitive data posted in public comments or on the Department's social channels will be removed (see section Conversation rules and netiquette).
 

Internal social media policy means the rules of conduct that Department, employees are requested to follow in the use of their personal accounts.
Any individual profiles of employees, collaborators and consultants of the Department are managed on a personal and autonomous basis, in compliance with the Code of Conduct for public employees and the indications given in this document.

In any case, employees may not disclose news and information of which they are aware by reason of their office, nor offensive statements against the administration, colleagues and collaborators.

If the membership of the Department is declared or deducible from the user profile or the content of a speech, it is common practice to specify that what is published reflects personal opinions and link to the official profile of the Department. This applies especially if you own a blog or a personal website on civil protection topics (or you intend to open one), of which the Department should be aware.

The Department's employees may operate in emergency or risk contexts that require adequate sensitivity, which is all the more necessary if you want to report on social media the experience. For this reason, especially for staff engaged in operational or training contexts, particular caution is required with respect to the publication of content and images, to avoid possible misunderstandings and exploitation.

This policy's last updated date is January 2024. The Social media policy will be reviewed and updated over time as needed, at any time and without notice.

Anyone with suggestions or proposed changes to this policy may write to the Department's Contact Center.