NASA Policies and Guidelines for Digital and Social Media

Social Media Commenting Policy

NASA welcomes your comments. To encourage free-flowing discussion while maintaining the decorum appropriate to a taxpayer-funded organization, and in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we will moderate comments using these guidelines:

Stay on topic. Other readers expect the comments about a post to deal with the topic at hand. If your comment is not relevant to the post, please post it as a discussion topic elsewhere. Failure to do so may result in your comment being removed.

We also ask that you be considerate of other users of this forum by refraining from posting sexually explicit materials, discriminatory comments, profanity, spam, or personal attacks.

Repeated posting of off-topic or illegal material may result in you being blocked from commenting on NASA social media pages. If you have been, or believe you have been blocked, you may request that the block be removed by emailing hq-social@nasa.gov.

For a list of NASA social media handles, click here.

Have a question about NASA social media? Contact the NASA Social Media Team.

Privacy on NASA Social Media Channels

 NASA uses social-networking applications, including non-government websites and web-based tools, to connect and provide information to individuals inside and outside NASA.

The term “social media,” also referred to as social networking, Web 2.0, or Gov 2.0, describes media designed for dissemination over websites through social interaction, and created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media focuses on the ability of people to collaborate and share information online. It is an enabling platform for Web-based communities of interest, collaboration, and interactive services. Through social media, people or groups can create, organize, edit, comment on, combine, and share content of mutual interest.

This privacy statement covers all of NASA’s current, authorized social media websites and applications that are functionally comparable with substantially similar practices across each website and application. This includes those owned by NASA or by a third-party on NASA’s behalf. Many third-party social media websites and applications collect personally identifiable information (PII) (e.g., name, date of birth, age, etc.) to establish a user account, build a user profile for registration or other purposes. NASA does not have access to this data and does not directly or indirectly collect, maintain or disseminate PII from individuals who interact with authorized third parties or NASA controlled social media websites or applications. NASA encourages users however, to consult the representatives of any third-party controlled and operated service provider to be informed of the PII collection and maintenance policies on these social media websites prior to providing it.

Upon registration, users select a level of interaction and elect a level of visibility they want to have through the use of these social media websites or applications. Users may place comments, messages and other information on the websites’ public spaces. The extent of any PII revealed by the user is completely at his or her discretion and as such cannot be fully characterized. At times, users may voluntarily provide contact information, such as an e-mail address which may or may not identify the individual, for NASA personnel to use in requested follow-up activities. Where possible, NASA strongly discourages the posting of PII and reserves the right to purge PII of which we become aware and to the extent possible, as it does not meet our posting standards. 

NASA does not intend to solicit, collect, maintain or disseminate PII or information covered under the Privacy Act of 1974 from individuals who interact with these authorized social media websites and applications, and will prepare a separate analysis for any social media use that raises distinct privacy risks from those covered by this statement. Using these third-party sites does not constitute an endorsement by NASA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the sites or the information or products presented on the sites. Additionally, please be aware that privacy protections on NASA’s website may not be available on third-party sites and applications. See NASA’s social media page for an updated list of NASA’s current social media presence.

A full look at NASA’s social media privacy analysis is available in the NASA Social Media Privacy Impact Assessment. (403 KB)

For information on NASA web privacy policy and other important notices, click here.

NASA Terms and Conditions for User-Generated Content

These terms and conditions apply to all NASA campaigns, including #UnfoldTheUniverse, #DrawARTemis, #NASALucySoundscape, #ConnectedByEarth, and #NASAMoonSnap

When submitting your image(s), video(s), music, or other material to NASA, you do confirm to NASA that:

• The photograph, video or music was produced by you (i.e. your original work)
• The contents of the image or video do not infringe the copyright or any other right of any third party
• No inappropriate content
• You affirm that you are either more than 18 years of age, or an emancipated minor, or possess legal parental or guardian consent. In any case, you affirm that you are over the age of 13.
• In the event any individual is featured in any submitted images, by submitting such image you represent and warrant that such individual agrees that NASA may use such individual’s name and likeness in connection with NASA’s use of the image hereunder.

Your photos and videos must comply with the terms of service for the site you are using.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/legal/terms/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tos?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terms.php

By participating in the campaign, participants grant the U.S. government a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to reproduce, display and distribute entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any educational, promotional, publicity, exhibition, archival, scholarly and all other governmental purposes, and to have or permit others to do so on the government’s behalf. NASA will use reasonable efforts to mark any photograph reproduced by NASA with a photographer credit as feasible. NASA will not be required to seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.