Policy for use of the Military App Platform:
‍
A Guideline for Regiments

This policy provides guidance and is to be used in conjunction with the Military App Subscription Agreement and member T&Cs.

‍

Objectives for using the platform:

To better connect and support members of the wider Regimental / Corps Family by using a digital community platform that facilitates news and support updates, events, search and connect functions, chat messaging and signposting to support information.

How groups and forums will be monitored:

Groups can only be created in the platform following HQ approval. Members can only post news articles (in a forum) if they are set as a group admin. This process is controlled by the HQ team and all HQ staff and group admins undergo in-person or online training.

Larger groups have the chat function disabled to removed large chat forums. Smaller group chat is monitored by group admins and these admins have the tools to delete messages and remove members from a group.

Policy on moderating or liking / sharing third party content:

The platform does not operate in the same way as public social media channels and is not build on an advertising model. As a result posts cannot be shared, re-tweeted or liked. The HQ group admins control what third party content they post and will seek approval from the Regt or Corps Secretary before publishing third party content.

When approval is required on content:

This platform is not for OFFICIAL or above content (only UNCLASSIFIED). This is defined in the T&Cs and there is a warning message acting as a reminder to this before an admin publishes an article. If in any doubt the group admins should follow the Army Comms guidelines on content filters for external, non-MOD social media sites as this is the most restrictive. If in doubt, approval should be sought from the Regt or Corps Secretary.

Who is responsible for reviewing and moderating content and how often:

Group admins are responsible for reviewing and moderating content within their groups. They will receive a push notification on publication of any news articles or new chat messages. This provides an active and ongoing monitoring process. However, the HQ lead community manager should conduct six monthly reviews to further support this.

Compliance rules:

Content policy should follow the Army Comms guidelines on content filters for external, non-MOD social media sites as this is the most restrictive. The platform is not an MOD platform and is not meant for OFFICIAL or above content (only UNCLASSIFIED). The Military App should only be voluntarily downloaded by serving personnel to personal devices (not MOD devices) at their own risk.

Interactions with children and young people on the platform:

The platform is not for children and should only be used by adults over the age of 18.

Interactions with vulnerable people on the platform:

The platform signposts to Cobseo charities, or organisations approved by HQ, as well as approved MOD SP support channels. Any welfare groups in the app must be managed in accordance with the appropriate welfare policies.

How will you ensure your staff and volunteers have the skills and knowledge to use the platform appropriately:

All centralized HQ staff involved with the project will undergo an in-person training process before the launch on the platform. All group admins will be provided with the opportunity to attend in-person workshops or online training.

How this policy interacts with safeguarding, risk and whistleblowing processes:

Walk+Talk and Coffee Club volunteer leaders are all provided with Risk Assessment and Safeguarding policies. Group admins should follow the policies set out by their serving unit, HQ or Association in this regard.

Who can amend or delete content and in what circumstances:

Group admins can amend article content, delete an article or delete a message at their discretion based on what they consider to be appropriate. Group admins can block a member from a certain group. If a member is to be removed from the platform then the Community Manager is to notify an Allegr Ltd representative.

When senior staff need to become involved:

The Regt or Corps Sec should be notified if an instance of inappropriate conduct is identified within the platform.

When do issues need to be reported to a full board of trustees:

At the discretion of the Regt or Corps Sec.

If, when and how you will respond to complaints:

Allegr Ltd operate a digital support help desk. In the event of any complaints regarding inappropriate conduct, this will be forwarded immediately to the Regt Community Manager. The Regt or Corps Sec will determine the appropriate response and action.

What you will do in the event of a communications crisis and needing to stop all outward communications:

All group admins will be informed on the conditions of the crisis and asked to follow advice. If required, Allegr Ltd can be asked to block publishing rights or delete certain groups.

The need to report a serious issue to the Charity:

At the discretion of the Trustees.

GDPR:

For Military App members, each member agrees to a set of T&Cs on joining the platform. This supports the Charity Commission's GDPR directive for having a record of active consent. These T&Cs explain the data protection and security policy. Allegr Ltd uses a UK-based, private cloud environment to host the system.

‍