Social media: safety and wellbeing

The aim of the University of Oxford’s social media pages is to share the best of what’s going on at the University and to update and engage with our audiences – wherever they are. 

The University is committed to fostering an inclusive culture in which people are treated fairly and with respect. The University does not tolerate any form of harassment or victimisation and expects all members of our community whether online or offline to treat each other with respect, courtesy and consideration. 

The University believes that a culture of free speech and academic freedom can be achieved only if all concerned engage critically but courteously with each other. 

We are keen for our community to use our social channels to have conversations on the content we post – but we have some rules. Content will be removed, and users may be banned, for sharing: 

• Spam: any type of sales, buying or selling, or self-promotion, legal or illegal, will be removed. 

• Links: to prevent the spread of misinformation, spam, malware or potentially inappropriate content, comments featuring a link to another site will be removed, regardless of the URL included.  

• Problem comments: any type of repeated comment, explicit comment, unrelated comment or misleading comment will be deleted and users may be banned. If an accusation has been made and a name used this will be hidden and could result in legal repercussions if the person or entity named decides it is libellous.  

• Hate speech: racism, sexism (this includes leaving disrespectful or explicit comments to other users), religious discrimination, homophobia and trolling are all completely unacceptable to the University of Oxford. Users who engage in any of these activities will be banned and their comments may be deleted.  

• Harassment or victimisation: Users who engage in activities which result in others in the community feeling singled out or threatened will be banned. 

Please be: 

• Respectful of other people’s opinions 

• Kind and considerate to our students, staff and other users 

• Aware that your comments are public 

Communications colleagues should refer to guidance on community management for more general information on how to reply to comments, manage spam, set up filters and set expectations online.

Social media security should be an important part of your plans; if your security is compromised this could lead to serious credibility and reputational issues that you and the University may have to deal with after.  

As a starting point, we recommend that you always limit the number of people who have direct access to your accounts.  

However, there are other ways you can keep your accounts secure:  

• Create strong, unique passwords  
• Implement two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts  
• Keep track of who has access to your accounts  
• Change your passwords when someone who has access to your social channels leaves the team 

For more guidance on online security, see Information Security’s guidance on staying safe online and the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance on how to use social media safely.

Personal security on social media 

Be mindful of what you share across different social platforms. Trolls may search your name on several platforms and find information that you may not want the wider public to be aware of.  The NPSA provides robust guidance on how to consider and monitor your own digital footprint.

In addition to using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, please consider removing and avoiding personal details or any potential 'doxxing' information, or personal information that could be published online against your will:  

• Turn off the option to share your location when you post (including on ‘non- work’ platforms such as fitness or dating apps). 
• Avoid sharing pictures of your family and loved ones. 
• In your social media bio, if you want to include a location, we suggest putting ‘Oxford’ so it’s not a definitive location. We strongly recommend you do not share the address of your department. 
• If you share pictures of your home or office, be mindful of what can be identified. Can people identify a door number, the road you live or work on, or the car you drive? 

Deepfakes are image, video or audio content that has been altered digitally. They often portray faked content with the exact likeness of real people. They can be used for malicious purposes and can be distressing.

If you or your department/team are the victim of a deepfake, the police recommendation is to:

• Save the content (screenshot, URL, etc)
• Make a takedown request via the social media site
• Report the deepfake via the most appropriate channel

Online harassment, or even dealing with negative content online, can be distressing. It threatens the wellbeing of our community, our freedom of expression and the ability to participate fully in conversation and community. 

The University of Oxford does not tolerate the abuse or harassment of members of its community, online or otherwise. The University is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all are respected. Oxford's full harassment policy is available on the EDU website.

If you or your department are experiencing harassment online, or if you are supporting a staff member who is, please ensure you: 

• Don’t reply
• Keep the messages – even if you don’t read them, they may be needed later for reporting purposes
• Seek advice & report. You can:
  • Speak to your communications lead or the PAD team, who can provide you with support and discuss options for reporting content as well as recording abuse
  • Discuss with your HR lead, who may be able to advise on wellbeing support
  • Explore formal options for reporting harassment, including via the University’s harassment resources or, if appropriate, to the police. The police also provide specific guidance for reporting deepfakes.