HomeMy WebLinkAboutN-209 - Personal Social Media Use
CITY OF PASCO
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDERS
Administrative Order No. 209
Personnel Policies & Procedures
Subject: Personal Social Media Use Initial Effective Date:
May 10, 2017
Revised
Approved
I. PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for employees on their off-duty
personal use of social media. City employees are cautioned that their speech either on or
off duty, and in the course of their official duties that has a nexus to the employee’s
professional duties and responsibilities, may not necessarily be protected speech under
the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Social Media is defined here as the use of third-party hosted online technologies that
facilitate social interaction and dialogue. Social Media includes social networking sites
like Facebook, micro-blogging tools such as Twitter, and audio-visual networking sites
such as YouTube and Instagram.
II. DEPARTMENTS AFFECTED:
All
III. REFERENCES:
A. First Amendment of the United States Constitution
B. Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 42.56 “Public Records Act”
C. RCW 63.60 “Personality Rights”
D. City of Pasco Administrative Order (AO) 206 “Professional Behavior”
IV. POLICY:
A. Employees are free to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites to
the degree that their speech does not impair or impede the performance of their
duties, damages the City’s relations in the community, impair discipline and harmony
among coworkers, or is untrue, presents the City in a false light or divulges
confidential information or plans about the City or their department. Employees may
want to consider how/if they reference their employment on social media; however,
even omitting such references may not insulate their social media activity from being
associated with the City.
Administrative Order No. 209 – Personal Social Media Use
Page 2
B. Regardless of any privacy settings on various social media platforms, social media is
not private. Information becomes public the moment it is published on the Internet.
Employees should assume that co-workers, members of the City’s management,
elected officials, and the public will see anything and everything posted online, and
act accordingly.
C. Posting information that is City related may be considered a public record under the
Public Records Act; if requested, this information (and other personal information
related to the request) may be required from the employee’s social media sites.
D. Employees shall not post, transmit, or otherwise disseminate any information to
which they have access as a result of their employment or assignment without written
permission from their Department Head or designee.
E. Employees may not:
i. Divulge information gained by reason of their position or authority; make any
statements, speeches, appearances, endorsements or publish materials that could
reasonably be considered to represent the views or positions of the City or their
department without express authorization from the Department Head.
ii. Use social media in a manner that discloses the City’s confidential or other
sensitive information.
F. All employees should be aware that they may be subject to litigation for publishing or
posting false information that harms the reputation of another person, group, or
organization, otherwise known as defamation to include:
i. Publishing or posting private facts and personal information about someone
without their permission that has not been previously revealed to the public, is not
of legitimate public concern, and would be offensive to a reasonable person;
ii. Using someone else’s name, likeness, or other personal attributes without that
person’s permission for purposes of advertising products, merchandise, goods, or
services, or for purposes of fund-raising or solicitation of donations (per RCW
63.60); or
iii. Publishing the creative work of another, trademarks, or certain confidential
business information without the permission of the owner.
G. Employees should be aware that privacy settings and social media sites are constantly
in flux, and they should never assume that personal information posted on such sites
is protected.
H. Employees should expect that any information created, transmitted, downloaded,
exchanged, or discussed in a public online forum may be accessed by the City or the
public at any time without prior notice.
V. POLICY ENFORCEMENT:
A. Violations of this policy will be considered the same as a violation of “Professional
Behavior,” AO 206, and the disciplinary action process, up to and including
termination, is contained therein.
Approved:
May 9, 2017
Dave Zabell, City Manager Date