Social Media Guidelines

CSC understands the vital importance of having open and honest dialogues and interactions with the world around us using technology to transform the way businesses, communities, and governments work. With collaboration and unconventional thinking at the heart of CSC’s core values, CSC empowers its employees/contractors to engage in external social media to exchange insights, experiences, and ideas — to inspire others and be inspired.

“Social media” is defined as the use of public (e.g., outside CSC’s domain) web-based or mobile technologies to drive social interaction.

To help its employees and contractors engage in social media in a responsible, productive, and positive way, CSC has developed these Social Media Guidelines. These guidelines apply when creating or contributing to public social networks, blogs, wikis, virtual worlds, forums, or any other kind of public social media, whether for CSC or on behalf of its clients.

CSC will update these guidelines as new technologies emerge. As always, we welcome feedback and suggestions for improvement at the CSC Social Media Guidelines group on C3 (employees/contractors) or socialmedia@csc.com.

CSC’s Commitment to Online Users

• CSC Reserves the Right to Maintain a Respectful Environment — CSC supports posting of content that contributes to productive online exchange. However, inappropriate content of any kind, including, but not limited to, words, links, and photos, or any content that does not comply with CSC's brand, policies, or compliance requirements, will be removed, with or without prior notice.
• CSC Is Committed to Confidentiality, Privacy, and Security — As a global leader in cybersecurity, CSC maintains websites and online communities that use applications and technology meeting rigorous internal testing standards and security approvals. CSC follows all applicable privacy policies and laws if and when collecting, storing, using, or sharing any Personal Data on CSC-owned sites or online communities. We also abide by the appropriate confidentiality obligations relating to information from our clients, partners, vendors, or employees/contractors. For details, see CSC’s Privacy Policy.

What CSC Expects of Its Employees/Contractors

There is a clear difference when speaking as a representative of CSC versus speaking about CSC and its business. Only designated spokespersons are allowed to speak as representatives of CSC. Not sure you are one, or want to become one? E-mail socialmedia@csc.com or visit the CSC Social Media Guidelines group on C3.

CSC expects its employees/contractors to engage in social media for the benefit of CSC and to do so during work hours. We know that you may also engage in social media for personal reasons, but you should do so only during non-work hours. As a reminder, you are one of our greatest assets for protecting and promoting our brand. If we find your behavior is inconsistent with our brand, core values, or policies, we reserve the right to take appropriate action.

These Guidelines apply whenever and wherever CSC employees/contractors use public social media (e.g., outside CSC’s domain):

1. Know and Follow CSC Policies — When engaging in social media, you must follow CSC’s Social Media Guidelines and all other applicable CSC policies, including, but not limited to, CSC Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, CSC Ethical and Legal Business Conduct*, CSC Use of Electronic Communication Media,* and CSC Insider Trading Policy.* Your interactions must not infringe on any third-party rights, such as intellectual property, publicity rights, and privacy. *NOTE: These policies are available internally from CSC.

2. Know and Follow the Terms of Use of Each Site Used — When using social media, you must comply with the respective terms of use (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, CSC.com).

3. Know and Follow Client Policies, When Appropriate — When engaging in social media at a client site, and especially if using a client e-mail address, profile, and/or client system, always consult the Client’s Social Media Policy/Guidelines first to understand what is and is not allowed. CSC is a U.S. Government Contractor. This means if you are working on a project for a U.S. Federal Government agency, you must follow the Federal Chief Information Officer Council’s Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies.

4. Always Protect Sensitive Information and Relationships — CSC strives for service and delivery excellence, and as such holds its relationships — and any information exchanged within those relationships — in the highest regard. If you have any doubt whether your information is appropriate for public consumption, don’t post it. You should always check contractual obligations regarding confidentiality.

Keep in mind the following:

• Do not disclose information that is sensitive or confidential to CSC, its clients, partners, vendors, or employees/contractors. Check with your contract manager to understand what information is sensitive or confidential.
• Do not identify a client, partner, vendor, or employee/contractor by name, or use their logo,without their specific permission. Never share confidential information about a client project/engagement. Identifying a client and/or project/engagement in social media may be a breach of contract. Identifying a person without his/her consent may be a breach of privacy and data protection law.
• Do not discuss (even if it is your personal opinion) any future business performance, rumors, or speculation about CSC, its clients, partners, or vendors. This means never post material nonpublic information, such as earnings or any other financial information, unannounced mergers and acquisitions, major expansion plans, legal or regulatory matters, or confidential leadership changes. Do not engage in any securities-related risks, such as insider trading, market manipulation, and false rumors. (See U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Guidance on the Use of Company Websites.)

5. Safeguard Confidential or Proprietary Data and Intellectual Property (IP) — CSC’s IP provides us with our competitive advantage and defines who we are; be sure to keep it within CSC. Confidential or proprietary data includes, but is not limited to, client lists, pricing sheets, strategic plans, and financial data. IP includes copyright, trademark, service marks, patents, and trade secrets. Do not share confidential, proprietary data or IP of CSC clients, partners, vendors, or employees/contractors without appropriate permission. Keep in mind that a customer (or other type of contract stakeholder) can require CSC to keep many different types of information confidential.

6. Give Credit and Respect the Law — To protect yourself, and CSC, you must respect laws governing copyright (understanding when fair use is a legally defensible position), trademark, service marks, patents, and trade secrets.

Some helpful guidance:

• If you want to reference someone else’s work, put the selected content in quotations, keep it short, cite the source to credit them, and, if appropriate, provide the link.
• If you want to use copyrighted material in any CSC-related materials, you must obtain specific written permission from the copyright owner and credit their work.

7. Be Yourself and Be Transparent — Even when expressing your own opinions about CSC, people might think you’re talking on behalf of CSC. Don’t be anonymous; be clear about who you are and be accountable for your content. Remember, what you publish will be public and will be around for a long time — so consider your content carefully before you post or communicate.

• Do not create false personas to mislead users. Do not pose as other CSC stakeholders, including employees/contractors, clients, vendors, partners, or competitors.
• If you publish any content online outside of CSC that could be construed as related to your work or topics associated with CSC, add a disclaimer such as: “The opinions and positions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of CSC.”

8. Be Mindful of Mixing Personal and Business Personas — Your personal and business personas may intersect online, so be careful about what you share with family and friends.

• Social media content can be forwarded and should be considered “public,” even if posted to a limited audience. What you publish on personal social media sites should not be attributed to, endorsed by, or originating from CSC, unless publically issued.
• Protect yourself and your privacy; be judicious in disclosing personal details.
• Use your personal e-mail address (not your work e-mail) when engaging in social media for personal use.

9. Be a Brand Ambassador — As a CSC employee/contractor, you are one of our greatest assets for promoting and protecting the brand.

• We know you want to promote the work you do and the positive impact CSC has on clients worldwide. However, before you post, be sure the content is publically available information about CSC, and remember to review these Guidelines.
• Be careful not to post false, unsubstantiated, or misleading claims about CSC, our clients, vendors, partners, employees/contractors, or competitors.
• If you come across negative, disparaging, or inappropriate remarks about CSC or our clients online, or if you see wrongful uses of the CSC logo, product names, or other intellectual property assets, contact socialmedia@csc.com so communications experts can take appropriate action. Avoid the temptation to react yourself; do not get engaged in the dialogue unless authorized to do so.
• Like, follow, and participate in CSC’s corporate social media accounts:
  • LinkedIn: CSC Company Page
  • Twitter: CSCNews
  • Facebook: We are CSC
  • YouTube: CSCNews

10. Reminder for CSC Executives and Senior Management — Because of the nature of your title or position in CSC, you have a special responsibility when it comes to speaking online. Even though you may use a disclaimer when expressing your own opinions, your thoughts may still be misconstrued by the public as representing CSC’s positions, so think carefully before posting personal points of view.

Additional References

Federal Trade Commission Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies, Information Security and Identity Management Committee (ISIMC), Network and Infrastructure Security Subcommittee (NISSC), Web 2.0 Security Working Group (W20SWG), Version 1.0, Sept. 2009.

Commission Guidance on the Use of Company Websites, Securities and Exchange Commission, 17 CFR Parts 241 and 271, [Release Nos. 34-58288, IC-28351; File No. S7-23-08], Aug. 7, 2008.