Civil servants no longer will be able to use Facebook and the Line messaging service at work after the Department of Provincial Administration banned use of social networks on government computers and devices.
Public administrators nationwide are banned from using their office devices to access social networks for issues irrelevant to their work. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
DPA director-general Grisada Boonrach reportedly issued the order to all provincial governors on Wednesday, reasoning that some public servants have been improperly using work computers and mobile devices at district offices, provincial halls and other department offices to access social media.
The ban also extended to e-mail, with its use restricted to government business.
Irrelevant postings to social media or personal e-mail might contain damage others, violate the Computer Crime Act or be part of some other criminal offense, the order read.
The director-general vowed to punish supervisors whose subordinates defy the ban.
In 2012, the department issued an order to provincial governors to prohibit civil servants nationwide from using government Internet connection to access some 10 international websites, including Facebook, with the reasoning that it consumed too much of the government's bandwith.