SEC Approves Use of Social Media for Company Announcements

SEC Social Media

On April 2, the SEC issued a report that allows companies to use social media outlets to announce key information in compliance with Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD), provided investors have been alerted about which social media will be used to disseminate such information. The report reviews 2008 SEC guidance that clarified that websites can serve as an effective means for disseminating information to investors if the investors have been made aware in advance. The report determined that the policy is equally applicable to current and evolving social media communication channels. The report states that disclosure of material, nonpublic information on the personal social media site of an individual corporate officer, without advance notice to investors that the site may be used for this purpose, is unlikely to comply with existing regulations, even if the individual in question has a large number of subscribers, friends, or other social media contacts, such that the information is likely to reach a broader audience over time.