City of Urbana Social Media Policy

Urbana is Your Community – Stay Connected through Social Media

City of Urbana Social Media User Policy

In case event of an emergency, please CALL 911.

The City of Urbana (the “City”) sponsors two types of social media accounts: those that serve as limited public forums and those that are non-public forums. For those social media accounts that the City sponsors as limited public forums, the City has the right to limit the content posted to those accounts to the topics of those accounts.

The City also has the right to remove comments that are off-topic and, if necessary, block users that abuse their use of any such account. The City’s non-public forum social media accounts are for informational purposes only and do not allow users to post comments thereto. The City recognizes that social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.) has become a highly valuable tool for communication among and between the City and its residents, businesses, visitors, media outlets, other governmental agencies, and others. The City’s respective social media accounts are intended to provide news, information, public safety alerts and notices, emergency announcements, and limited forums for the exchange of ideas and information of importance to the City and its surrounding community. The City’s communications staff retain the sole authority for operating, maintaining and managing the City’s social media accounts and pages.

USE POLICIES APPLICABLE TO LIMITED PUBLIC FORUM ACCOUNTS

Content Restrictions and Site Monitoring: For its limited public forum accounts, the City reserves the right to reject or remove any content that the City deems in violation of this Social Media User Policy or in violation of any law applicable to the posting of comments on government social media accounts. Social media account posts and comments containing any of the following content will be subject to removal at the City’s sole discretion:

Comments or posts that:

1. Are unrelated to the topical scope of the particular page.
2. Contain defamatory or profane language.
3. Threaten any person’s life, health or safety or physical harm to property.
4. Promote, foster, or perpetuate discrimination based on race, color, creed, class, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, physical and mental disability, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, prior arrest or conviction record or source of income.
5. Contain sexual content including, but not limited to, links to other websites or social media accounts that contain sexual content.
6. Contain solicitations for commerce.
7. Contain or that link to other websites or social media accounts that contain personally identifiable information such as address, telephone/mobile phone number, social security number, driver’s license number, or other sensitive information.
8. Contain information that may interfere with or compromise current investigations, police tactics, or the safety or security of the public in general, public safety staff, or public systems or infrastructure.
9. Contain content that encourages illegal activity.
10. Infringe on any person’s copyrighted photographs, music, video, artwork, graphics, or other material without the express written permission of the copyright owner.

The City monitors its social media accounts and comments posted by visitors to these accounts to ensure that the content is constructive and suitable to all visitors to the respective accounts and pages. While social media is a 24/7 medium, the City cannot monitor the comments posted to the City’s social media accounts and pages on a 24/7 basis.

As the City’s social media accounts are not monitored on a 24/7 basis, users are advised not to use any of the City’s social media accounts to report a crime or an emergency situation or any other situation which the user believes requires immediate attention by the City’s public safety staff including its Police Department or Fire Department. In the case of an emergency, please use the 911 emergency call service in your community. Likewise, please do not use this social media account if you believe a repair to a road, highway, sidewalk, parking area, other public right-of-way, or City-operated building is necessary. Please submit those requests through the City’s website at https://www.urbanaillinois.us/citizens-voice or call the City’s Public Works Department (217-384-2342) Monday through Friday during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time for such repairs.

Removal of Improper Content; Blocking Use of Social Media Account: To the extent technology reasonably permits, the City shall have the sole and exclusive right to remove any comments from its social media accounts and pages that clearly violate the restrictions listed above without notice to the person who posted such content. The City shall also have the right to block persons from future use of one or more of the City’s social media accounts and pages who violate the Content Restrictions listed above on two or more occasions.

Confidentiality of Content: Any content posted to any of the City’s social media accounts shall be deemed public information that is available to and viewable by the public. Any user of any of the City’s social media accounts and pages shall have no expectation of privacy or confidentiality in their use or posting of any content to such account or page. To the extent that any of the City’s social media accounts include or allow for information sharing beyond the particular social media account used by the user, the user recognizes that any content he/she posts to the City’s social media account may be shared or made available beyond the City’s social media account to which the user posted such information.

USE POLICIES APPLICABLE TO LIMITED PUBLIC FORUM AND NON-PUBLIC FORUM ACCOUNTS

Disclaimers: The City shall not be liable for any claims, damages, or injury of any kind a user may sustain arising out of or relating in any way to any use of any of the City’s social media accounts. The City and its elected and appointed officials and employees make no warranty, representation or guaranty as to the content, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the information provided on any of the City’s social media accounts including, but not limited to, any information provided by any third person whether posted on a City social media account or by way of a link to another person’s website or social media account.

The City shall have no obligation to undertake efforts to detect the presence of any malicious programming or viruses on social media websites. A user of any of the City’s social media accounts assumes all risks for any download or use of any information contained on a City social media account and links to websites and other social media accounts, which may be provided on a City social media account.

By using any City social media account, the user agrees to hold harmless and indemnify the City and its elected and appointed officers and employees from and against any claims, actions, suits, liabilities, damages, losses, settlements, demands, deficiencies, judgments, fines, penalties, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, the reasonable value of time of the City’s Legal Division and the costs, expenses and attorney fees of other counsel retained by the City) suffered by, incurred by, accrued against, charged to, or recoverable by the City and/or any of its elected or appointed officials or employees that arise out of or are related in any way to your use of this site or to any external links you post on this site to other sites or any content posted on them. Governing Law: Regardless of the location of the user of any of the City’s social media accounts, the laws of the State of Illinois shall govern the interpretation and construction of this Social Media Policy and any claim that a user might assert against the City in connection with the user’s use of any of the City’s social media accounts. By using any of the City’s social media accounts, the user submits himself, herself, itself to the jurisdiction of the State of Illinois and the venue of the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Champaign County, Illinois and any and all actions arising out of the use of any of the City’s social media accounts shall be brought and shall be maintained in the aforesaid circuit court.