# Can't mention employer on Facebook (legal issues?)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-mention-employer-on-facebook-legal-issues/495028>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 1, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-mention-employer-on-facebook-legal-issues/495028 "2009-05-01T21:07:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 1

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**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-mention-employer-on-facebook-legal-issues/495028/1 "2009-05-01T21:07:24Z")

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Just got this memo at work:

> [@](#):
>
> To all employees and contractors of [company]:
> 
> Many of you presently use, or in the future may use, one or more of the following or similar non-business social networking sites; Facebook, Flickr, Twitter or MySpace (collectively, the “Sites”). Your use of the Sites, including the material you choose to make available to your friends or the public, is a matter of your personal discretion. On the other hand, if you post material that is controversial and you disclose your affiliation with [company], then that posting could cast [company] in a bad light. This could be particularly troubling at the present time as we are launching [project] and we are reaching out and marketing to a broad audience.
> 
> In order to address this potential problem, the management of [company] does not want to be in the intrusive position of telling you what types of materials and statements you are allowed to disclose on the Sites. Therefore, the simplest and least intrusive solution is to limit your disclosed relationship with [company] on the Sites.
> 
> Effective immediately, you should not mention [company] or disclose your affiliation with [company] on the Sites, as an employee or otherwise. To the extent you have already done so, please remove any such references at your earliest convenience. This non-disclosure policy does not apply to your use of business-centered sites such as Linkedin where business affiliation is a primary feature of the site.
> 
> Please give me a call if you have any questions. Thanks.

I find it a little eyebrow raising that the company wants to limit my speech in this way. Is there legal justification for the company’s stance? Am I really not allowed to mention that I work at [company] on my personal site?

Here’s the real wrinkle to this situation. Last week I got an email saying that [company] wants each of its employees with a Facebook account to “friend” the company’s new Facebook site to promote its new project online and get it advertised via social networking. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea before. But, given this memo, I have to say I’m inclined to say, “Sorry, then I can’t connect my personal site with the company site. You can’t expect to use my personal contacts through the site to promote the business and then also limit what I can say on my site. If you want a separation between business and personal, then you need to keep it consistently separate. Not just when it’s convenient for you.”

Thoughts?

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