Netiquette and rules of use for the Commission’s online platforms
The Commission uses social media to interact with you. Our communications department manages our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts (French only), as well as our website.
We encourage you to use these platforms to share your views and ideas with us. You can also ask questions, and we will do our best to reply.
We have developed the following rules for appropriate and courteous online behaviour on all our platforms to moderate communication and promote constructive dialogue. Any content that does not comply with these rules may be removed.
Respect
- Always remember that being calm, polite and respectful to others is what allows for constructive communication. Insults and personal attacks have no place on our platforms.
- If you disagree with one of our publications or positions, please explain why without being hostile. Constructive criticism is welcome; insults are not.
- To make your messages easier to understand, please write legibly: avoid SMS language, writing in all-caps and using special characters.
Illegal content and hate speech
- All unlawful content is prohibited on our platforms. This includes incitement of violence or racial hatred, as well as discrimination, defamation, denying crimes against humanity, and defending violence or attacks.
- Discriminatory comments and images will not be tolerated. We do not tolerate any racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, ageist or ableist language or any language that is derogatory toward the members of a religious group.
- Pornographic images and comments will not be tolerated.
Spam and misinformation
- Avoid digression, rumours and false information: these add nothing to a discussion and can be misleading.
- Avoid repeating the same comment several times: this interferes with the flow of communication and may be perceived as spam.
- No advertising or promotion of commercial goods and services is permitted.
Privacy and confidentiality
- You take part in our online forums at your own risk and are responsible for your comments and the views you express. Remember that these are public platforms, and the content on them is both public and permanent.
- To protect your privacy, do not post any personal information, like your email, address or phone number.
- For reasons of confidentiality and to protect personal information, we will not address any complaints or reports on social media. To file a complaint or to inquire about your case, please contact us directly.
Copyright
- You agree to follow all copyright rules for the content that you post (text, images, videos). Before you post something, ask yourself: “Do I have the right to post this?”
The Commission reserves the right to amend these rules without notice.