The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public Service (CUEPACS) has stressed that civil servants should not use social media apps like TikTok and Facebook while on duty, according to a report by Harian Metro. In a statement issued by CUEPACS president Datuk Dr Adnan Mat, civil servants must fully focus on their duties during working hours as stated in an official circular from the Public Service Department dated June 2013.
According to him, the use of social media while on duty without official requirements can affect productivity and violate the Civil Servants (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993 [P.U (A) 395/1993].
In 2020, Datuk Dr Adnan Mat issued a similar warning after civil servants wearing their respective department uniforms were found to be recording indecent, ugly and negative videos before uploading them to personal social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
The issue of civil servants using social media applications during working hours has become a hot topic again when more and more school teachers were found to be uploading videos of students during school hours without the permission of their parents and guardians.
The United States, Australia, France and the UK have already banned the TikTok application from being installed on official devices used by civil servants for security reasons. Perhaps the Malaysian government can issue a similar directive after this but to prevent the issue of working hours being abused.
If you see civil servants using social media applications while on duty, you can report it via the Public Complaints Management System (SISPAA) website.