Social Media Policy

Purpose

The City of La Palma ("City") has an overriding interest in protecting the integrity of the information posted on its social media sites and the content that is attributed to the City or its officials while, at the same time, mitigating and/or eliminating associated risks from the use of such technology. This document (“Policy”) establishes citywide guidelines, protocols, and procedures of third-party platforms commonly known as social media sites.  

Content

City social media sites should be used to communicate agency missions and messages where there is a legitimate business purpose to do so. Those authorized to post social media content on behalf of City should carefully weigh options and risk management concerns when deciding whether to use social media at all. Announcements and other City-generated content should be objective and descriptive; use a polite and professional tone; contain only information that is freely available to the public (do not post any content that is not considered public information) and that is not made confidential by any policy of the agency, or by local, state or federal law; and such content should comply with all local, state and federal rules, regulations and policies.

Comment Policy

City social media content, including comments, pictures, or other material, containing content that is determined to be detrimental to the purpose of the City’s social media sites, shall not be allowed and is subject to removal and/or restriction. The City reserves the right to moderate, monitor, remove, prohibit, restrict, block, suspend, terminate, delete, discontinue or reject comments and access to comments if they are:

• Profane, obscene, pornographic, abusive, threatening, racist, defamatory, offensive or contain violent language
• Trolling (posts that are deliberately offensive, provocative, or disruptive and intended to hijack content, deflect information off-track, upset someone or create angry responses from employees or other visitors)
• Messages that are a violation of existing law or regulation
• Violations of the intellectual property rights of others
• Spam (unsolicited messages that are usually intended as advertising or messages that are repeatedly posted on the same site)
• Attacks or calls-to-action for attacks on specific groups
• Intended to harass, threaten or abuse an individual or are defamatory, derogatory, or are personal attacks on any City official, employee, resident, or business person
• Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding or comments that promote, foster, or perpetuate discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or a protected class under local, state, or federal law
• Links or comments containing sexually explicit content material
• Links to malicious software or sites
• Messages that relate to confidential, private, or proprietary information
• Solicitation of funds
• Unsolicited business proposals and inquiries
• Encouragement of illegal or unlawful activity
• In violation of any term, condition, or policy of the social media site

Disclaimer

The following disclaimer shall be posted on the City social media sites’ primary page or by a hyperlink directing a user to the same wherever possible:

“This account is intended to be a limited forum for communication and discussion between the City of La Palma and members of the public about specific topics. The City of La Palma reserves the right to remove inappropriate comments including those comments that are not topically related, comments that include profane or obscene language, sexual content, threats, defamatory statements, the encouragement of illegal activity, violations of the legal ownership interests of another party, solicitations of commerce, statements in support or opposition to political candidates or ballot propositions, content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination, or information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems. Any content posted may be subject to public disclosure upon request. Activity on this account is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws regulations and policies.”

Privacy

All users of the City’s social media sites are subject to the site’s own privacy policy. The City has no control over a third party’s privacy policy or their modifications to it. To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, do not include personal information, such as your Social Security Number, phone number, or email address in your comment.

Click here to view the entire Social Media policy.