Bihar government mandates prior approval for government staff’s social media posts

The Bihar government has tightened social media regulations for its employees, making prior approval mandatory before sharing or posting any content related to official work. The decision applies to all government staff and is aimed at regulating online conduct and preventing unauthorised dissemination of government-related information.

Under the new rules, government employees are barred from posting, commenting on, liking, or forwarding content connected to government policies, schemes, administrative decisions, or internal matters without written permission from the competent authority. The restrictions cover all major social media and messaging platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram and WhatsApp. The guidelines also clearly prohibit employees from expressing political opinions, criticising government policies, or sharing content that may harm the image of the state administration. Officials have been reminded that existing service conduct rules extend to online behaviour, and social media activity will now be monitored more closely by departments.

The state government has warned that any violation of the revised social media policy will attract disciplinary action under service rules. All departments have been directed to circulate the instructions among employees and ensure strict compliance, with senior officers responsible for oversight and enforcement.