ReVIEW of official and personal capacity public communications
(CT:PER-1248; 01-14-2026)
(Office of Origin: GPA/EX)
3 FAM 4171 APPLICABILITY
(CT:PER-1247; 01-09-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. The provisions of this subchapter apply to all personnel, whether in the United States or abroad, who are currently employed (even if in leave without pay status) by the Department of State, collectively and individually referred to as employees, as defined in 3 FAM 4173.
b. Former Department of State employees (including former interns and externs) must seek guidance from the Bureau of Administration, Shared Knowledge Services (A/SKS) (classification@state.gov) for applicable review process information.
c. The provisions of this subchapter apply to all "public communications" as defined in 3 FAM 4173, and all dissemination (including publishing) thereof in an employee’s official capacity, or in an employee’s personal capacity if on a topic “of Departmental concern,” as defined in 3 FAM 4173.
d. The provisions in this subchapter apply to all non-emergency public communications. During crises, posts should seek guidance from the Bureau of Global Public Affairs (GPA) as the review process may be altered for the duration of the crisis. See 12 FAH-1 H-400 for information on crisis communications.
e. Views on matters of Departmental concern that are communicated through methods of internal communication (including, for example, the Department’s internal dissent channel) or disclosures made pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(8)(B) are not subject to the review requirements of this subchapter
f. Employee testimony, whether in an official capacity or in a personal capacity on a matter of Departmental concern, may be subject to the review requirements of this subchapter. Employees should consult with the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser, as appropriate, to determine applicable procedures.
3 FAM 4172 AUTHORITIES
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. The provisions of this subchapter are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by statute or executive order relating to:
(1) Classified information;
(2) Communications to Congress;
(3) Reporting to an Inspector General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety; or
(4) Any other whistleblower protection.
The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling executive orders and statutory provisions are incorporated into this policy and are controlling.
b. These provisions are to be interpreted and applied consistent with all applicable authorities, including the following:
(1) The Constitution of the United States, including the First Amendment and related jurisprudence;
(2) The Anti-Lobbying Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1913;
(3) The Compliance with Procurement Integrity Act, 41 U.S.C. §§ 2101 through 2107;
(4) The Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. § Appendix;
(5) The Hatch Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321 through 7326;
(6) The Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq.;
(7) The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a;
(8) Use of the Great Seal and Agency Seals; 18 U.S.C. § 713, § 1017;
(9) Merit System Principles - Prohibited personnel practices, 5 U.S.C. § 2302 et seq.,
(10) The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, Public Law 101-12, and The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, Public Law 112-199.
(11) Annual appropriations act restrictions on publicity and propaganda;
(12) 5 CFR § 734, Political Activities of Federal Employees;
(13) 5 CFR § 2635, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch;
(14) 22 CFR § 172, Service of Process; Production or Disclosure of Official Information in Response to Court Orders, Subpoenas, Notices of Depositions, Requests for Admissions, Interrogatories, or Similar Requests with Demands in Connection with Federal or State Litigation; Expert Testimony (Touhy Regulations);
(15) Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information, or subsequent, related orders;
(16) Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information;
(17) Protection of Sensitive Agency Information, OMB Memorandum M-06-16 (June 23, 2006);
(18) Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information, OMB Memorandum M-07-16 (May 22, 2007);
(19) 3 FAM 1210, Personnel Policy;
(20) 3 FAM 4120, Employee Responsibilities Abroad;
(21) 3 FAM 4320, Disciplinary Action - Common Practices;
(22) 5 FAM 460, Privacy Act Requirements;
(23) 5 FAM 490, Use of Copyrighted Material;
(24) 5 FAM 700, Internet and Intranet Use;
(25) 12 FAM 540, Sensitive But Unclassified Information; and
(26) 12 FAM 550, Security Incident Program.
c. Nothing in this subchapter prohibits or restricts an employee or applicant for employment from disclosing to Congress, the Special Counsel, the Inspector General of an agency, or any other agency component responsible for internal investigation or review any information that relates to any violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or any other whistleblower protection.
3 FAM 4173 DEFINITIONS
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
Appearance: Any presentation of views or other information, or any other participation or presence in an activity, event, forum, or platform, made to or intended for an audience that includes members of the public, whether being conducted live or virtually/remotely, and whether in real time or prerecorded. Appearances include but are not limited to interviews, lecturing, teaching, speaking engagements, participation at events/conferences, and participation in filming engagements.
Department: The U.S. Department of State, including U.S. and overseas offices, missions, and posts.
Electronic dissemination: Dissemination that occurs through electronic means, including but not limited to e-mail, the Internet (e.g., via websites, social media platforms), removable media such as CDs, DVDs, flash drives, and other digital technologies.
Employees: All personnel, whether in the United States or abroad, who are currently employed (even if on leave without pay status) by the Department of State, including but not limited to Foreign Service (FS) employees, Civil Service (CS) employees (including schedule C appointees and re-employed annuitants (REA) returning to work on temporary appointments, Eligible Family Members (EFMs) hired on a Family Member Appointment or a personal services agreement (PSA), Locally Employed Staff (LE staff), personal service contractors (PSCs), employees assigned to fellowships or details elsewhere, detailees or fellows from other entities assigned to the Department, externs, interns, and special government employees (SGEs) as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 202(a), and any other personnel who are employed by the Department of State in the United States or abroad.
Final review office: The office assigned to conduct formal reviews on behalf of the Department, when required, of a particular employee’s or office’s public communications, as listed in the chart at 3 FAM 4174.3, paragraph a.
Media engagement: Any appearance (e.g., an interview), publication, or other public communication made or submitted to, for or with a media organization, whether off-the-record, on background, on-the-record, or similar.
Media organization: A person or entity engaged in disseminating information to the general public through a newspaper, magazine, radio, television, electronic means (e.g., websites, social media, podcasts), or other means of mass communication.
Of Departmental concern: Pertaining to current U.S. foreign policy or the Department’s mission (including policies, programs, operations or activities of the Department of State), or which reasonably may be expected to affect the foreign relations of the United States.
Official capacity: Pursuant to an employee’s U.S. Government employment responsibilities, or in any capacity representing the Department, regardless of location or forum.
Online: An activity or service available on or performed using the Internet or other computer network. Examples include the Internet, wired or wireless local or wide area networks, or other electronic networks that convey data.
Personal capacity: Not pursuant to an employee’s official capacity, i.e., in his or her capacity as a private person. The content of a personal capacity public communication may nevertheless be of Departmental concern.
Protected disclosure: Public Law 101-12, amended by Public Law 112-199, guarantees the right to disclose information, subject to limitations of method and audience. If the disclosure would include protected information, then the communication must protect that information from spillage, and can only be shared with either the Office of Special Counsel or the Office of the Inspector General of the agency or department over the employee;.
Protected information: Information protected by law, regulations, privilege, or policy including but not limited to classified, sensitive but unclassified, nonpublic or controlled unclassified information.
Public communication: Any communication presenting views or other information to or intended for a non-Department audience beyond an employee’s family members and/or circle of personal friends and, irrespective of form, medium, or means of dissemination (i.e., whether oral, written, audio, visual, or audiovisual, and whether disseminated via non-electronic or electronic means) with the intention to teach. Public communications include but are not limited to appearances, media engagements, and publications as defined herein.
Publication: Any public communication contained in a fixed form, irrespective of its manner of dissemination. Publications may include written content (in print or digital form) and audio, visual, or audiovisual content (e.g., recordings, images/photos, videos), and may be disseminated via non-electronic or electronic (e.g., social media) means.
Publish: To disseminate a publication.
Social media: Any digital technologies, applications or platforms that allow publishing, communication, and collaboration among individuals and institutions.
3 FAM 4174 GENERAL POLICY AND PROCesses
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
3 FAM 4174.1 Policy
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
The Department encourages employees, in both their official and personal capacities, to undertake responsible activities, including public communications, devoted to increasing public study and understanding of the nation’s foreign relations.
3 FAM 4174.2 Overview
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Public communications may be conducted in employees’ official capacities or in their personal capacities. As detailed in this subchapter, different standards and processes govern each of these situations. Communications online such as social media use are not exempted from those standards and processes unless specified herein.
b. Employees’ official capacity public communications, including speaking engagements, other public outreach, written submissions to media organizations, interviews with the media, or other official media appearances, must be reviewed and cleared in advance by the applicable final review office, as defined in 3 FAM 4174.3, paragraph a. However, the final review office, in its discretion, may issue certain blanket authorizations to engage to employees, offices, or sections, particularly for social media engagement; see 3 FAM 4175.1, paragraph c.
c. Employees’ personal capacity public communications are subject to advance review (but not clearance/approval) by the applicable final review office if they are on a topic “of Departmental concern” (see 3 FAM 4173). Personal capacity public communications that clearly do not address matters of Departmental concern need not be submitted for review.
(1) The personal capacity public communications review requirement is intended to serve three purposes: 1) to determine whether the communication would disclose classified or other protected information without authorization; 2) to allow the Department to prepare to handle any potential ramifications for its mission or employees that could result from the proposed public communication; or, in rare cases, 3) to identify public communications that are highly likely to result in serious adverse consequences to the mission or efficiency of the Department such that the Assistant Secretary or Senior Bureau Official of GPA must be afforded the opportunity to decide whether it is necessary to prohibit or otherwise address the communication (see 3 FAM 4176.4); and
(2) The purposes of the review are limited to those described in subparagraph c(1) of this section; the review is not meant to insulate employees from discipline or other administrative action related to their communications, or otherwise provide assurances to employees on matters such as suitability for continued employment (see, e.g., 3 FAM 4130 for Foreign Service personnel and 5 CFR 731 for Civil Service personnel). Ultimately, employees remain responsible for their personal capacity public communications whether or not such communications are on topics of Departmental concern.
d. No current or former employee is permitted to publish or otherwise disclose to the public (including by posting via the Internet or other means of data transmission) any content that contains classified information. However, such prohibitions do not apply to employees making a protected disclosure of classified information to the Office of the Special Counsel or the Office of the Inspector General.
e. In addition to complying with the provisions of this subchapter, employees engaged in public communications must also comply with applicable laws and regulations, including the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 CFR § 2635) and laws referenced in that regulation, and other authorities listed in 3 FAM 4172.
3 FAM 4174.3 Final Review Offices
(CT:PER-1248; 01-14-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Where the provisions in this subchapter require formal review on behalf of the Department for official or personal capacity public communications, that review will be conducted by the appropriate “final review office”.
NOTE: The final review office for public communications by the GPA Assistant Secretary is the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy or designee.
b. Official capacity public appearances, including but not limited to interviews, lecturing, teaching, speaking engagements, participation at events/conferences, and participation in filming engagements must be submitted in advance for review to the appropriate final review office. Official capacity public communications outside of public appearances may be submitted for review by the final review office when deemed appropriate based on sensitive policy issues. Public appearances and communications subject to review must be submitted in advance to the appropriate final review office with relevant stakeholder clearances already secured, including, if necessary, other U.S. Government entities. The final review office will respond as quickly as possible within the timeframes below.
c. Personal capacity public communications that are subject to review must be submitted in advance to the appropriate final review office. The final review office will respond as quickly as possible within the timeframes below, if the proposed communication does not involve equities of another U.S. Government entity (e.g., NSA, NSC, CIA, DoD, DHS, etc.). When the proposed communication must be referred to another U.S. Government entity or entities for review, additional time may be required to complete the review.
d. To ensure that no classified information is improperly disclosed, an employee submitting personal capacity public communications must a) confirm that the public communication contains no known or reasonably knowable classified information, nor personally identifiable information (PII) and b) not take any steps to proceed with a public communication (including making commitments to publishers or other parties) until receipt of a written communication from the final review office that Department review has concluded (i.e., a “final response”), except as described below. If, upon expiration of the relevant timeframes below, the final review office has not provided an employee with a final response or informed the employee that review remains ongoing because another U.S. Government entity or entities may have equities (including a list of the entity or entities with equities), the employee may use, issue, or publish materials on matters of Departmental concern that have been submitted for review so long as such materials do not contain information described in 3 FAM 4176.2, paragraph a, and taking into account the principles in 4176.2(b). When an employee has been informed by the final review office that the public communication involves equities of another U.S. Government entity or entities, the employee should not proceed without written notice to proceed from the final review office. Upon the employee’s request, the final review office will provide the employee with an update on the status of the review of the public communication, including, if applicable, the date(s) on which the Department submitted the employee’s communication to another entity or entities for review. Ultimately, the employee remains responsible for their personal capacity public communications whether or not such communications are on topics of Departmental concern.
|
Intended Communication* |
Review Timeframe |
|
Books, manuscripts, and other publications of considerable length |
30 working days |
|
Articles, papers, and other writings of a highly specialized nature |
20 working days |
|
Other papers or articles, including online publications |
15 working days |
|
Notification of a planned speaking engagement or other appearance |
8 working days |
|
Speeches, remarks, talking points, or notes for appearances |
5 working days |
|
Informal blog or vlog postings |
5 working days |
|
Other social media postings |
2 working days |
*Note: As this subchapter describes, not all public communications are subject to any type of review, and in some cases blanket authorization to engage, as described in 3 FAM 4175.1, paragraph c, may be granted. When in doubt, employees should consult their supervisors or final review office for guidance.
3 FAM 4175 OFFICIAL CAPACITY PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
3 FAM 4175.1 General
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Official capacity public communications may be conducted only if approved by the applicable final review office (see 3 FAM 4174.3, paragraph a) pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter. The final review office may issue blanket authorizations but reserves the right to revoke such authorizations upon determination that revocation is in the best interest of the Department.
b. Public communications on matters of Departmental concern undertaken as part of an official Department-funded or Department-approved fellowship, detail whether employees detailed outside the Department or employees of other agencies detailed to the Department), or other professional development opportunity during which the employee continues to receive a Department salary, will be subject to the official capacity review process.
c. An employee, office, or section that routinely conducts official public communications in order to satisfy essential programmatic responsibilities may be exempted from the relevant review and approval process in 3 FAM 4175 if advance blanket authorization to engage has been previously granted by the final review office. The blanket authorization to engage, once given, allows the holder to communicate publicly subject to the parameters of the authorization, and provided that all content conforms to the content rules in 3 FAM 4175.2. Offices or sections whose employees have been granted blanket authorizations to engage must develop an internal review mechanism and accountability process for such content within the office. The final review office will periodically review previously issued blanket authorizations to engage, and reserves the right to revoke such an authorization upon determination that revocation is in the best interest of the Department. Holders of a blanket authorization to engage may also be disciplined or subject to other administrative action related to their official communications.
d. When engaging in speaking, teaching, or writing as part of her, his or their official duties, an employee may not accept compensation for the activity from any source other than the U.S. Government. See 11 FAM 600.
e. An employee may use his or her official title in an official public communication for purposes of identification, since the employee will have already been authorized to engage in the public communication in an official capacity.
3 FAM 4175.2 Content of Official Capacity Public Communications
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. The content of any official capacity public communication must:
(1) Be relevant and appropriate, in keeping with U.S. Government policy and positions, and in line with the communicating employee’s, office’s, or section’s programmatic responsibilities. When relevant, employees should consult with other interested Department offices, posts, or sections;
(2) If being disseminated on a Department website, adhere to the content policies in 5 FAM 776.3, as applicable;
(3) If any third-party content is included or any private non-U.S. government party is referenced, use such content or refer to such party only for an informational purpose and in an informational manner, unless otherwise approved by the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser, as appropriate;
(4) Be consistent with applicable laws and Department guidance concerning intellectual property (IP), publicity, and privacy; and
(5) When carried out at post, respect host country laws consistent with Department policy. Employees are responsible for knowing host country laws.
b. The content of any official public communication must not:
(1) Be inconsistent with stated U.S. Government policy, unless clearly contextualized as another entity’s view shared in the interest of educating, informing, or encouraging dialogue about U.S. Government policies, U.S. principles, or U.S. society;
(2) Comment on matters that are highly sensitive for the foreign relations or foreign policy goals of the United States, or on matters for which GPA should otherwise be the first to speak for the Department, unless approved by GPA or authorized (in consultation with the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser, as appropriate) by law or regulation;
(3) Be libelous, defamatory, or offensive, including with regard to representatives of foreign governments, except when the text reflects an official cleared policy stance;
(4) Contain, or in any way allow the public to access, classified or other protected information, even if it is already publicly available due to a previous unauthorized disclosure, including:
(a) Material that the Department believes should be protected from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552(b), including internal pre-decisional deliberative material;
(b) Information that reasonably could be expected to interfere with law enforcement proceedings or operations;
(c) Information pertaining to procurement in violation of 41 U.S.C. §§ 2101 through 2107;
(d) Personally identifiable information as defined in 5 FAM 795.1, paragraph f; and
(e) Other nonpublic information, when used in a manner as prohibited by 5 CFR § 2635.703.
(5) Promote a personal business or a personal point of view; or
(6) Contain any solicitation, advertisement, endorsement, or promotion of or for a non-U.S. Government party, without advance approval from the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser, as appropriate.
c. Particular guidance regarding social media content can be found in 10 FAM 350.
3 FAM 4175.3 Review and Approval Process for Official Capacity Appearances and Media Engagements
(CT:PER-1248; 01-14-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Official capacity appearances must be referred to the appropriate final review office for advance review and approval. (See chart at 3 FAM 4174.3, paragraph a.). This should be done as soon as an appearance is being proposed, even if materials for the proposed appearance (such as a speech or talking points) have yet to be prepared. Any such materials should be submitted as soon as possible thereafter, as described in paragraph b of this section. For employees submitting a request to GPA, such requests should be submitted via the GPA Reviews portal. Extremely urgent or immediate requests may be e-mailed to GPA-Reviews-DL@state.gov, cc’ing GPA_Clearances@state.gov. (See chart at 3 FAM 4174.3, paragraph a, and the PAO Checklist.)
b. If the official capacity appearance is the result of an invitation or is invitational, the recipient bureau must assess whether official participation would advance the Department’s public affairs or public diplomacy mission or otherwise further the Department’s official interests. Bureaus must include this justification with their submission to the final review office/into the GPA Reviews portal. Bureaus should not formally confirm participation with an inviting organization until the appropriate final review office has cleared participation.
c. GPA clears all appearances and media engagements by officials based in the United States. GPA clears all appearances and media engagements by Chiefs of Mission when the Chief of Mission is engaging with U.S. domestic media organizations or organizations with significant U.S. domestic impact, particularly English language outlets (see 3 FAM 4175.3(g)). For other Chief of Mission appearances and media engagements, Chiefs of Mission must obtain the Mission’s corresponding regional bureau clearance, and then observe policy limitations from relevant subject matter offices to ensure that his or her remarks are consistent with U.S. foreign policy and could not reasonably be expected to interfere with the efficiency or mission of the Department. Further, a Chief of Mission is responsible for ensuring that his or her remarks involve no violation of security or other dissemination of classified or other protected information and comply with all other content rules for official capacity public communications in 3 FAM 4175.2. All other employees must first submit the text, talking points, interview notes, or other materials to support the appearance to their immediate supervisors and any other offices concerned with the subject matter for preliminary review, editing, and approval, including the employee’s bureau or post press office or officer Once those preliminary approvals have been collected, the materials must be submitted to the final review office, noting all such clearances, and referencing the final review office’s clearance of the engagement itself, sought per paragraph a of this section.
d. For presentations, conferences, and panel discussions where, because of the nature of the public appearance, no prepared script or outline will be available for review, the speaker is responsible for seeking out and then observing policy limitations from relevant subject matter offices in order to ensure that his or her remarks are consistent with U.S. foreign policy and could not reasonably be expected to interfere with the efficiency or mission of the Department. Further, as always, the speaker is responsible for ensuring that his or her remarks involve no violation of security or other dissemination of classified or other protected information.
e. When participating in a virtual/remote appearance (e.g., a web chat), employees must adhere to the same review and approval requirements as for live appearances. Where, because of the nature of the appearance, no prepared script or outline will be available for review, the speaker is responsible for seeking out and then observing policy limitations from relevant subject matter offices to ensure that his or her remarks are consistent with U.S. foreign policy and could not reasonably be expected to interfere with the efficiency or mission of the Department. Further, as always, the speaker is responsible for ensuring that his or her remarks involve no violation of security or other dissemination of classified or other protected information.
f. Generally, official statements to the press/media are made only by the Secretary, a Deputy Secretary or Under Secretary, Chiefs of Mission at post, the Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs, the Department Spokesperson or Deputy Spokesperson; authorized personnel in the GPA Office of Press Relations, and other Department officials cleared to deliver such statements by the applicable final review office. As with other official appearances, drafts of public remarks or talking points for media engagements should be submitted as early as possible for review and clearance. The PAO Checklist outlines the process for clearing press guidance and other official statements or releases to the press.
g. While the Chief of Mission or designee serves as the final review office at posts, requests for employees abroad, including Chiefs of Mission (outlined in paragraph c of this section), to engage with U.S. domestic media organizations and organizations with significant U.S. domestic impact, particularly English language outlets, must also be cleared by GPA.
3 FAM 4175.4 Review and Approval Process for Official Capacity Publications
(CT:PER-1248; 01-14-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. GPA clears all official capacity publications by officials based in the United States. GPA clears all official capacity publications by Chiefs of Mission when the Chief of Mission is engaging with a U.S. domestic publisher or publishers with significant U.S. domestic impact, particularly English language outlets (see 3 FAM 4175.3(g)). All other employees must first submit the text to their immediate supervisors and any other offices concerned with the subject matter for preliminary review, editing, and approval, including the employee’s bureau or post press office or officer. Once those preliminary approvals have been collected, the materials must be submitted to the final review office (as described in 3 FAM 4174.3(a)), noting all such clearances. The final review office will then make the final approval determination. For employees submitting a request to GPA, such requests should be submitted via GPA Reviews portal, or immediate requests may be e-mailed to GPA-Reviews-DL@state.gov, cc’ing GPA_Clearances@state.gov. Employees should also consult the PAO Checklist for guidance on the production of op-eds written by Department officials.
b. Official capacity public communications, whether being disseminated via non-electronic or electronic means (e.g., social media, blogs, vlogs, podcasts), are subject to this process. However, per the guidance described in 3 FAM 4175.1, paragraph c, there may be cases where advance blanket authorization to engage is granted to employees, offices, or sections that routinely conduct official public communications.
3 FAM 4175.5 Additional Guidance on Official Use of Social Media
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
Social media is an important and ever-evolving channel by which the Department engages with members of the public.
a. Employees must secure authorization from their bureau or post, regional bureau if overseas, and GPA to create new official social media sites, accounts, or to engage in such activities on third-party sites, following the processes outlined in 10 FAM 350. GPA maintains an inventory of all official Department social media properties.
b. Original social media content should be cleared following the same processes that are followed for other publicly released content. Social media account managers can consult with their section head or office director on expectations around clearances for the specific account they manage.
c. Official social media public communications must be compliant with FAM policies regarding official capacity social media use as well as applicable GPA guidance.
d. All employees, but especially those who routinely engage in official social media communications, are strongly encouraged to complete relevant training offered by the Foreign Service Institute, as coordinated by FSI/SPAS/PD. GPA and other bureaus also offer other workshops and professional development in this area.
3 FAM 4176 PERSONAL CAPACITY PUBLIC communications
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
3 FAM 4176.1 General
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(State)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Employees who, in their personal capacity, wish to communicate publicly on matters that are clearly not “of Departmental concern” (see 3 FAM 4173) need not seek Department review under the process outlined herein, and need not use the personal capacity disclaimer discussed below in paragraph b of this section. If there are questions as to the need to seek review or use a disclaimer, employees should seek guidance from the appropriate final review office (see 3 FAM 4174.3, paragraph a). In the event of a difference in views between an employee and the final review office as to whether a planned personal capacity communication would be a “public communication” and/or addresses a topic “of Departmental concern,” the decision will rest with the final review office. Please note that all employee personal capacity public communications must comply with the content rules in 3 FAM 4176.2.
b. Unless the appropriate final review office indicates otherwise, employees who are communicating publicly in their personal capacity on matters "of Departmental concern" must include a disclaimer indicating that the views expressed are their own and not necessarily those of the U.S. Government. However, such a disclaimer is not required when reposting previously cleared and publicly disseminated U.S. Government content in a social media environment. Where such disclaimers are required but difficult to include in an online post (due to, for instance, character limits), employees must include information in their profiles indicating that their views are personal. In some cases, GPA will provide specific disclaimer language as warranted by the topic or nature of publication.
c. When engaging in personal capacity public communication, employees may generally not accept compensation if the activity “relates to the employee’s official duties”; see 11 FAM 600. If abroad, see also 3 FAM 4120, “Employee Responsibilities Abroad.”
d. An employee may not improperly use U.S. Government time or resources for preparing or conducting personal capacity communications; see 5 FAM 723. An employee also may not use his or her official title for personal capacity communications, except as part of a biographical text that includes the disclaimer discussed in paragraph b of this section, and provided the reference to the title is not given any special prominence. Additionally, an employee may not violate other applicable ethical standards of character, integrity, and conduct, including, for example, the rules prohibiting the use of public office for private gain and the rules concerning prohibited political activity.
e. Employee Organizations do not speak for the Department on policy. Employees who participate in those groups do so on their own time and not as part of their official duties on behalf of the Department. While Employee Organizations may be recognized by the Department under 3 FAM 5310, and the Department may appreciate its contributions, this recognition does not constitute Department sponsorship, sanction, or endorsement of the Employee Organization’s activities. Further, while management officials review Employee Organization recommendations and engage on matters of interest, those discussions or communications cannot take on the character of consultations or negotiations over conditions of employment that are reserved for the elected exclusive employee representatives (Unions.) See 3 FAM 5310 and 5 CFR § 251 for governing authority. Thus, an employee’s statement would be made in his or her personal capacity on behalf of the Employee Organization that he or she leads.
f. As stated in 3 FAM 4174.2, subparagraph c(1) of this section, the review process is limited to three purposes; see also 3 FAM 4176.4. Therefore, completion of the review process is not a Department “clearance” or “approval” of the planned communication, and is not meant to insulate employees from discipline or other administrative action related to their communications, including for conducting personal capacity public communications that interfere with the Department’s ability to effectively and efficiently carry out its mission and responsibilities, by, for example, disrupting operations, impairing working relationships, or impeding the employee from carrying out his or her duties. Ultimately, employees remain responsible for their personal communications whether or not the communications are on topics of Departmental concern.
3 FAM 4176.2 Content of Personal Capacity Public Communications
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. When engaging in personal capacity public communications, employees must not:
(1) Claim to represent the Department or its policies, or those of the U.S. Government, or use Department or other U.S. Government seals or logos; or
(2) Disclose, or in any way allow the public to access, classified information, even if it is already publicly available due to a previous unauthorized disclosure.
b. As stated in 3 FAM 4174.2, subparagraph c(1) of this section, a purpose of this review process is to determine whether the communication would disclose classified or other protected information without authorization. Other protected information that is or may be subject to public disclosure restrictions includes, but is not limited to:
(1) Material that meets one or more of the criteria for exemption from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552(b), including internal predecisional deliberative material;
(2) Information that reasonably could be expected to interfere with law-enforcement proceedings or operations;
(3) Information pertaining to procurement in violation of 41 U.S.C. §§ 2101 through 41 U.S.C. 2107;
(4) Sensitive personally identifiable information as defined in 5 FAM 795.1, paragraph f; or
(5) Other nonpublic information, when used in a manner as prohibited by 5 CFR § 2635.703.
3 FAM 4176.3 Review Process for Personal Capacity Public Communications
(CT:PER-1247; 01-09-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. GPA reviews all personal capacity public communications on matters of Departmental concern by officials. Chiefs of Mission generally do not have an outside personal capacity when speaking on matters of Departmental concern regarding their country of assignment. For all other employees wishing to communicate publicly in their personal capacity on matters of Departmental concern:
(1) Employees submit their requests for review to their immediate supervisor(s), the public affairs office in their bureaus or posts, and any other Department offices concerned with the subject matter. The materials must then be submitted to the final review office, noting all such reviewers and any comments received. The final review office will then verify those reviews, assess whether other reviews are needed, and the Assistant Secretary or Senior Bureau Official of GPA will make the final determination. Department submissions are made through the GPA Reviews portal. Extremely urgent or immediate requests may be emailed to GPA-Reviews-DL@state.gov, cc’ing GPA_Clearances@state.gov.
b. Supervisors, public affairs offices, or any other offices involved in the review process must flag for the final review office any view that the proposed public communication may:
(1) Contain classified or other protected information;
(2) Result in adverse consequences to the efficiency or mission of the Department; or
(3) Be or be likely to become high profile(for example a communication that is likely to be highly controversial); impact or otherwise involve a Department priority; or reasonably be expected to affect the foreign relations of the United States.
c. The final review office will then conduct its review as described in 3 FAM 4176.4.
d. In all cases, an employee must disclose his or her identity to the relevant Department reviewers.
e. If another U.S. Government entity seeks Department review of a planned personal capacity public communication by that entity’s employee, the Department office in receipt of such request must coordinate with GPA.
f. Personal capacity public communications, whether being disseminated via non-electronic (e.g., print newspapers, journals) or electronic means (e.g., social media, blogs, vlogs, podcasts), are subject to this process. A personal capacity communication that is not a “public communication”—i.e., its audience is limited to an employee’s family members and/or circle of personal friends and acquaintances and is not being disseminated beyond or intended to be disseminated beyond such persons—is not subject to this process.
3 FAM 4176.4 Final Review Office Process and Standard for Review of Personal Capacity Public Communications
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. A principal goal of the review process for personal capacity public communications is to ensure that no classified or other protected information will be disclosed without authorization. In addition, the final review office will evaluate whether the employee’s public communication is likely to result in adverse consequences to the efficiency or mission of the Department. An assessment of the risk that the views in the communication could be attributed to the Department despite the employee’s use of a disclaimer is a significant consideration in this evaluation, although it is not necessarily determinative. If the Assistant Secretary or Senior Bureau Official for GPA believes that a particular public communication should be prohibited, their determination will be final.
b. As stated in 3 FAM 4176.1, paragraph e, employees remain responsible for the consequences of their personal capacity public communications. To the extent time and resources allow, reviewers may assist the employee in identifying possible modifications or other adjustments to avoid the inclusion of non-classified but otherwise protected information, or the potential for adverse consequences to the Department's mission or efficiency (including the employee's ability to perform her, his or their duties effectively in the future). However, even if such assistance is provided, completion of the review process is not a Department “clearance” or “approval” of the public communication, and is not meant to insulate employees from disciplinary or other administrative action related to their communications, as set out in 3 FAM 4176.1, paragraph e.
c. The final review office will consult with any office in the Department with equities in the proposed communication during the course of its review. Final review offices at posts must seek GPA’s assistance in coordinating reviews when their employees’ communications are on topics of particular concern to another post or bureau in the Department. If the final review office determines that another U.S. Government entity needs to review the communication, GPA will coordinate that review.
d. No matter the outcome of the review, the Department may prepare to handle any potential ramifications for its mission or employees that could result from the proposed public communication.
3 FAM 4176.5 Additional Guidance on Personal Use of Social Media
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Department employees who access and post on social media platforms in their personal capacity must use a personal profile registered with a personal e-mail address at such sites, consistent with general policies on Internet use in 5 FAM 700, as applicable.
b. Personal social media public communications must be consistent with FAM policies regarding personal capacity social media use as well as applicable GPA guidance.
3 FAM 4176.6 Review of Public Communications by Special Government Employees
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. A special government employee (SGE), as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202(a), is responsible for submitting for advance review any planned public communications on matters of Departmental concern prepared in his or her personal capacity only if they relate to a matter to which the employee currently is assigned or to which the employee has been assigned during the previous one-year period of the current assignment. The content restrictions found in 3 FAM 4176.2 apply irrespective of the applicability of the review process.
b. In some limited circumstances, designated SGE members of advisory boards may be notified in writing, with concurrence from the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser and Undersecretary for Management, that they are exempt from the review requirements of this section. However, the disclaimer requirement, content restrictions, and ethics compensation rules remain applicable.
3 FAM 4177 NONCOMPLIANCE
(CT:PER-1246; 01-02-2026)
(Applies to all Employees)
a. Failure to follow the provisions of this subchapter, including failure to seek advance reviews where required, may result in disciplinary or other administrative action up to and including separation. Disciplinary action may be pursued consistent with applicable law, including 5 U.S.C. 2302.
b. Publication or dissemination of classified or other protected information may result in disciplinary action, criminal prosecution or civil liability.
3 FAM 4178 And 4179 UNASSIGNED