What policy does SEAD 5 set regarding publicly available social media in background investigations?

• A. Policy and guidance for the collection, use, and retention of publicly available social media information in personnel security background investigations.
• B. Policy for Continuous Evaluation.
• C. Uniform reporting requirements.
• D. PIV eligibility.

Answer: (A)

SEAD 5 defines how publicly available social media information should be handled in personnel security background investigations, focusing on the policy and guidance for what can be collected, how it can be used, and how long it can be retained. This establishes rules to ensure information gathered from social media is obtained and used consistently, with attention to privacy, accuracy, and necessity, rather than extending to unrelated areas of vetting. The other topics listed pertain to different policy areas—continuous evaluation, uniform reporting requirements, and PIV eligibility—and do not address the handling of publicly available social media in background investigations.