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FBI Combats 'Rash' of Employee Sexting

By Andrew Lu on February 25, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

After a "rash of sexting cases," the FBI issued a confidential internal disciplinary report to its employees to deter future misconduct.

The FBI took this unusual action as a way to get its message out to its employees and teach them about what is appropriate and not appropriate use of FBI BlackBerries, reports CNN.

The federal agency wants its employees to know that sexting is not appropriate for the workplace and that work BlackBerries are for official use only.

According to an internal investigation, the FBI disciplined 1,045 employees for a variety of violations between 2010 to 2012. Some sexting incidents include a woman who used a personal cell phone to send nude photographs of herself to other employees which adversely affected the daily activities of several squads.

In another case, a FBI worker e-mailed a nude photograph of herself to an ex-boyfriend's wife.

Both these employees received 10-day suspensions. Another employee who used a government-issued BlackBerry to send sexually explicit messages to another employee was suspended for five days, reports CNN.

Regardless of where you work, you can get in trouble for sexting on the job. And if you're using an employer-provided device, you must be especially careful.

Generally, during working hours, your employer can require that you only perform work-related duties. While many employers give some leeway and allow employees to surf the web or take walks, a line is typically drawn when employees use work time to sext or otherwise engage in sexually-charged activities. So if you're caught with your pants down at work, you could be fired.

In addition, you could also get in trouble for sexting on an employer-given device regardless of working hours. Your employer may set limits on what you can do with company equipment and if you are caught sending naughty pics on your phone, you could also get terminated.

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