Procedure Behind Government Social Media Posts Revealed

When a government department plans to share a photo, video or statement on an official handle, the material first reaches the media‑cell of the respective office. The cell collates the visual, drafts the accompanying text and forwards it to a designated content‑review team.

The review team checks for factual accuracy, language tone and compliance with legal provisions such as the BNS, the IT Act and the POCSO Act. Once the content clears the internal checklist, it is sent to a senior official—often the principal secretary or the minister’s own communication secretary—for final approval.

Only after this sign‑off does the social‑media manager schedule the post. The system may differ from one ministry to another; some maintain a strict chain‑of‑command while others operate on a more relaxed, delegated basis.

Forensics can later retrieve login logs, device IDs, timestamps and IP addresses to establish who actually performed the publishing step. In the Bihar chief minister’s case, investigators will scrutinise these digital breadcrumbs to determine whether the offending post originated from the official account’s password holder, an authorised manager or an unauthorised insider.

Understanding this workflow is crucial for drafting tighter SOPs that can prevent future breaches and safeguard the privacy of vulnerable individuals.