Use of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website
The texts reproduced on this site are available for consultation purely for information purposes. In case of differences with the original texts, the latter shall be deemed to be authentic and prevail over those published on the site.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is in no way liable for any errors or omissions whatsoever or for any kind of direct, indirect or accidental damage deriving from reading or using the information published on the site, from any content of the site or from the access to or the use of the material contained in sites referred to therein or linked thereto.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reserves the right to modify the content of the site and of this Legal Notice at any time and without notice.
Copyright
The contents of the site – script code, graphic design, texts, tables, images, sounds, and any other information available in any form – are protected according to the legislative and regulatory provisions governing original works. All products or companies mentioned on this site are brands belonging to their respective owners or holders and may be under the protection of patents and/or copyright granted or registered by the competent authorities.
Any link to this Site, whatever the form, if it is inserted by third parties, must not bring prejudice to the image and activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Deep linking, i.e. the non-transparent use of a part or parts of the site on third-parties’ websites, is forbidden.
All infringements shall be prosecuted in the competent courts.
Access to linked sites
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is in no way liable for matters concerning external websites accessible through links in its own Site; these are provided simply as a service to web users and do not imply approval of the sites concerned.
Privacy
Information introduced in the Ministry’s website, at users’ initiative or because it is requested during the online connection, will be treated in accordance with privacy regulations. Personal information will be handled only for the time needed for the purposes for which it was collected.
Users submitting their personal information to the Ministry’s website have the right, at any time, to check that their information is accurate and, if necessary, withdraw their consent for its use by the Ministry.
Social media
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation uses social media for institutional purposes to enhance transparency and inform the public of its activities: it informs, communicates, receives, and publishes content of an institutional nature.
The content published includes photographs, institutional videos, press releases, service information, news regarding the Ministry’s activities and opportunities for citizens’ involvement and engagement.
Through its social media channels, the Ministry may share and republish content and messages of public interest or service published by other users.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation undertakes to manage spaces for communication and dialogue through its social media accounts and asks its users to comply with a few simple rules:
- Everybody is requested to express their opinion in moderate language, with propriety and respect.
- In social media, everybody is held responsible for the contents published and the opinions expressed. Insults, obscene language, offences, threats and, more generally, violent or defamatory attitudes shall not be tolerated.
- The contents published must always be respectful of people’s privacy. All reference to facts or details that have no public relevance and infringe upon other people’s personal spheres must be avoided.
- It is imperative to have an interest in the matters and activities of the Ministry: it is in no way admissible to use its spaces for purposes other than exclusively institutional ones.
- Every debate is linked to a specific theme: all participants are requested to stick to it and avoid broadening the debate generically and indiscriminately.
- No form of advertising, spams, or the promotion of private interests and illegal activities is allowed.
- No contents in violation of copyright laws or the unauthorized use of registered trademarks shall be allowed.
In any case, if the social media allows it, the Ministry’s staff shall remove all posts, comments, or audio/video materials that:
- Express an inappropriate language and/or a menacing, violent, vulgar, or disrespectful tone;
- Express unlawful contents or incite to perform unlawful activities;
- Contain offensive, misleading, alarmist contents or are in violation of other people’s rights;
- Disseminate personal data and information that is liable to cause prejudice or damage to other people’s reputations;
- Contain indecent, pornographic, or pedopornographic contents or such as to offend the sensitivity of users;
- Contain discriminatory contents against gender, race, ethnicity, language, religious creed, political opinion, sexual preference, age, personal and social status;
- Promote and support illegal activities violating copyright laws or inappropriately using a registered trademark.
The Ministry reserves the right to use the ban or block function (whenever possible after a first warning) against anyone repeatedly violating these conditions or those contained in the policies of the instruments used to prevent further actions, report the user to the webmaster and possibly also to law enforcement agencies.
Any other accounts referred to the Ministry are not managed thereby.
The Ministry’s social media channels do not replace the channels through which the public can access the information and assistance services provided by the Administration, and specifically by the Office for Relations with the Public (Helpdesk), and by the Operations Room of the Crisis Unit.