In response to a question from ERR, the Government Office said: "From the state's perspective, commercial platforms like these are not the primary or sole channels for providing crucial state information, but are instead tools for amplifying information already available via the state's direct channels, or for reaching target groups specific to the platform in question."

Most Estonian institutions, including the government, use Facebook and other social media platforms as one opportunity to reach people, the government office added.

Facebook, as with other platforms, has its own idiosyncrasies and pluses and minuses, the office noted.

One positive aspect the government office found was that, in the light of the recent case, "questions have arisen about the ownership, control, and usage practices of information on commercial platforms."

"These discussions help us understand the conditions and nuances which should be considered when disseminating information in these environments," the office added.

An article posted on July 5 which reported on operatives from the ISS, or Kapo as it is known in Estonian, attending a college fraternity event in Tartu under false identities could not be "shared" on Facebook for several days, prompting suspicions as to why that was the case .

Meta, Facebook's parent company, had had communications with the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) and later confirmed that the issue had been fixed, though reportedly the article still could not be shared via Facebook for some time after that.

The ISS officers had been investigating alleged corruption surrounding a real estate deal in Tartu.

The Government Communication Office's (Valitsuse-kommunikatsiooniburoo) responsibilities include managing the government's and the Prime Minister's public relations, developing public notification in emergencies, and domestic information activities related to the EU.

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