Council clamps down on online abuse against staff
This is following recent cases where employees were singled out and targeted on the council's official Facebook page.
New social media rules have been implemented by Dumfries and Galloway Council to protect staff from online abuse.
Previously there had been some instances where certain staff members were named and vilified on the local authority’s official Facebook page.
A series of steps have since been introduced to prevent nasty attacks on the council’s social media channels, which also includes X (Twitter) and YouTube.
Social media ‘house rules’ were strengthened to help stamp out online attacks and harassment coming from behind computer screens.
These rules and measures taken have been outlined in a new report titled, ‘Responding to Abuse of Council Colleagues (Zero Tolerance Approach), which will be tabled at the council’s enabling and customer services committee next Tuesday.
The report states: “Social media is a valuable tool for council engagement with the community, but it has also been a platform where some individuals direct inappropriate comments at the council or even at named staff.
“In line with the new zero tolerance stance, the communications unit reviewed the social media house rules and moderation practices in mid-2025.
“The house rules on our website – which outline what is acceptable on our official Facebook, X (Twitter), and other channels – were updated in July 2025 to explicitly include that harassing or abusive comments towards staff will be removed and the user may be blocked.
“Previously, the rules covered profanity and hate speech generally, but the update made it clear that personal attacks on staff are not allowed.”
The council’s communications department has also adopted a more proactive moderation approach, particularly on the council’s corporate Facebook page:
If a member of the public posts a comment that attacks or abuses a council employee by name, that user is then banned from the page or account.
For more general abusive comments (not naming staff but perhaps aimed at the council or others in a vulgar way), the team also acts swiftly. Such comments are deleted or hidden, and the user could be banned depending on severity/repeat offences.
In cases where misinformation or heated discussions risk leading to staff being scapegoated, the team might step in with an official reply to clarify facts. By correcting inaccuracies, this can sometimes defuse tensions that might otherwise be directed at individual officers.
If a particular topic is expected to attract an overwhelming amount of abuse or off-topic comments, the team will occasionally pre-emptively turn off comments on that post on the social media page.
This is used sparingly on Facebook as council officers insist that “the default is open public discourse”. Comments are sometimes turned off outwith office hours when the social media account is not moderated.
However, comments have been permanently turned off on the council’s YouTube channel, which broadcasts live council meetings.
The council report states: “These measures have been effective in reducing the visibility of abuse and reassuring staff that the council ‘has their back’ online. “The vast majority of public interactions on our social channels remain civil and constructive. By clearly stating and enforcing our zero-tolerance approach online, we reinforce positive engagement and dissuade the small minority who might behave aggressively.”