Purpose
This policy establishes procedures for the use of City of Park Ridge social media sites. The purpose of the City’s social media sites is to obtain and disseminate information useful to and about the City. The City encourages the use of social media to further the goals of the City and the missions of its departments, where appropriate, and subject to the terms and conditions contained in this policy. Comments and discussions that take place on City social media sites will be moderated by the City for compliance with this policy and are also subject to the policies established by the third-party social media companies. Note that the City’s predominant and primary internet presence is the City’s website (https://www.parkridge.us), and the City’s social media sites are intended to be a supplement to the website. The establishment and use of any departmental City social media sites are subject to the approval of the City Manager. All City social media sites will be administered by the City Manager or their designees (“Administrator”). The Administrator and their designees will be trained regarding the terms of the social media policy, including their responsibilities to review content submitted for posting to ensure compliance with the policy. The Administrator will be responsible for monitoring content on City social media sites to ensure adherence to both the City’s social media policy and the interest and goals of the City. Wherever possible, City social media sites should link back to the official City website for forms, documents, online services, and other information necessary to conduct business with the City. The City encourages users to create original content on the City’s website rather than the social media sites where the City has limited control over records retention. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this social media policy or any applicable law or court order. Content removed by the City will be retained for a reasonable period, including the time, date, and identity of the poster, when available. Comment and Terms of Use Policy
A. Comments containing any of the following unauthorized content are not permitted on City social media sites and are subject to removal and/or restriction by the Administrator or their designees:
1. Obscene, sexual, or pornographic content and/or language.
2. Content that promotes discrimination based on race, age, religion, gender, or other protected class.
3. Content that violates a legal ownership interest (copyright or trademark).
4. Threats to any person.
5. Conduct that violates any federal, state, or local law or ordinance, or that encourages illegal activity.
6. Promotion of any commercial activities not related to City business.
7. Spam or links to malware/viruses or other sites.
8. Content that advocates or promotes a candidate, referendum, or campaign. A comment posted by a member of the public on any City social media site is the opinion of the poster only, and publication of a comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the City, nor do the comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City. The City reserves the right to deny access to City social media sites for any individual who violates this policy, at any time and without prior notice. All comments posted to any City social media site are bound by the social media company’s terms of use and the City reserves the right to report any violation of the company’s terms of use to the social media company with the intent of the company taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. Users who enter private or personal information on City social media sites do so at their own risk, and the City is not responsible for any damages resulting from the public display of, or failure to remove, private or personal information. F. The City will post this policy on its website and provide links to the policy on its social media sites. G. This policy may be amended from time-to-time, without further notice. IV. Compliance with Laws
A. City social media sites and content may be subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Any content maintained in a social media format that is related to City business may be a public record subject to public disclosure. The City will use its best efforts to maintain content related to City business in an accessible format so that it can be produced in response to a request. The Illinois Local Records Act may apply to social media content. The department maintaining a site must preserve records required to be maintained pursuant to a relevant records retention schedule for the required retention period on a City server in a format that preserves the integrity of the original record and is easily accessible. E-discovery laws may apply to social media content and, therefore, content must be able to be managed, stored, and retrieved to comply with these laws.
