Argyle & Bute media chief suspended over Facebook ‘spy account’
A communications manager working for Argyll and Bute council has been suspended following claims that they activated fake social media accounts to monitor opposition groups.
Jo Smith made the admission, which she later denied, at a social media event in Glasgow, claiming that she had set up so called ‘spy accounts’ on both Facebook and Twitter.
Smith’s suspension pends a full investigation into the affair after local MSPs, including Education Secretary Michael Russell, reacted furiously to the news.
In a letter to the council leader Russell wrote: “I cannot remember being as angry. The thought that my constituents have been 'spied on' by a senior member of your staff is truly outrageous. And when I consider the likelihood that I was one of these people, then words almost fail me.”
Smith faces disciplinary action if found guilty.