We use this page to post and share news, information, photos, and more about our city and the work we do on the Akron City Council. We're glad you can join us here, and encourage you to like, share, and comment on these posts regularly. On social media, we're furthing our mission to serve our residents, enhance your life in Akron, and help make our city a vibrant, safe place to live, work, and play. Below are the guidelines established to monitor, manage, and regulate user-generated content in this online community. We reserve the right to delete any content that violates these guidelines. The City of Akron is a special place. Please help make our social media page special, too. We look forward to engaging with you!
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Moderation of Third-Party Content on City Council Social Media Sites
A. Below, are the Council's terms and conditions for public use of its Social Media, which shall be
posted on (or linked to) Council Social Media channels. These terms and conditions establish
guidelines for the public's use of Akron City Council Social Media and are hereby adopted by
Council and are incorporated by reference into this Akron City Council Social Media Policy. THIRD-PARTY SOCIAL MEDIA USER TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Members of Akron City Council believe that honest, civil, and productive discussions provide the
best means for citizens to understand the work of their local government and allow for
participation and constructive engagement. When properly utilized, Social Media can serve as
a means of promoting such constructive engagement. City Council asks users to consider that Social
Media platforms may be viewed by children and other impressionable people. Council encourages
users to avoid profanity, personal attacks, bullying, or the use of false or incorrect
information. DEFINITIONS
1. " Social Media" means digital content created by the City Council and communicated on
platforms that allow sharing, commenting, and engagement from the public. Examples of Social Media
accounts the City Council may use include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
Linkedln, and TikTok.
2. "Comments " include any digital content, information, links, images, videos, or any other
form of communicative content posted in reply or response to a Social Media account operated by
the City Council.
3. " User" means a member of the public who views or interacts with one or more of the
City Council's Social Media accounts. GENERAL GUIDELINES
1. These terms and conditions apply to all the City Council's Social media. Where possible,
a link to these terms and conditions will be made available as a hyperlink or posted as text
somewhere on the City Council's Social Media account(s) and included on the City Council's
website.
2. City Council Social Media posts, comments, and replies to those posts, and any direct or
private messages sent to the City Council may be public records subject to release under the Ohio
Public Records Act.
3. A comment posted by a member of the public on a City Council Social Media site is the
opinion of the commentator or poster only, and the posting of a comment does not imply endorsement
of, or agreement by, the City Council, nor do such comments necessarily reflect the opinions or
policies of the City Council. The City Council neither guarantees the authenticity, accuracy,
appropriateness nor security of external links, websites, or content linked thereto. Any content
posted to this site is subject to public disclosure.
4. The City Council's Social Media accounts are not monitored 24/7 and no one should utilize the
City Council's Social Media accounts to seek emergency services. Anyone in need of emergency help should call 9-1-1.
5. The City Council does not guarantee a response to comments or messages sent on City Council Social Media accounts. CONTENT MODERATION
1. Limited Public Forum. The City Council's Social Media accounts are created and maintained as
limited public forums under federal case law pertaining to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The City Council invites members of the public to view and, where possible, provide comments or other engagement on the City Council's Social Media accounts. However, the law permits the City Council to hide and/or delete comments that are not protected speech under the First Amendment and relevant case law. The City Council will not hide and/or delete comments solely because such comments are critical of the Akron City Council or its officials.
2. Prohibited Content. Relevant First Amendment case law permits the City Council to hide or delete certain comments on City Council Social Media accounts. The following will be hidden or deleted:
• Comments directly advocating violence or illegal activity.
• Comments containing direct criminal threats as defined by local, state, or federal law.
• Comments containing obscenity, which is defined as sexually explicit and/or pornographic content that is patently offensive, appeals to prurient interest, and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
• Comments that directly promote or advocate for our organization to illegally discriminate based on race, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected class if such comments violate local, state, or federal law.
• Comments containing links to malware and/or malicious content that affects the normal functioning of a computer system, server, or browser.
• Duplicate comments posted repeatedly within the same day.
• Comments containing actual defamation against a person, either as determined by a court or comments that are patently defamatory by easily discovered facts. When a public figure is the target, the poster must act with actual malice for the comment to be potentially defamatory.
• Comments that contain images or other content that violate the intellectual property, trademark, or copyright rights of someone else, if the owner of that property notifies us that the property was posted in a comment on our Social Media account(s).
• Comments that contain a hyperlink to any website other than those controlled by Akron City Council. This will be done without regard to the viewpoint of the comment containing such a link or the content of the site to which the link redirects.
3. Retention. When a comment containing any of the above content is posted to Council Social Media account(s), a copy or electronic record of that content may be retained or archived pursuant to our records retention policy, along with a brief description of the reason the specific content was deleted. Once documented, the content will be removed, where possible, from the Council's Social Media account(s).
4. Users may Request Review. If City Council staff hides or deletes a user's comment pursuant to these terms and conditions, the user can request a review of that decision by sending an email or letter to the City Council's office @akronohio.gov within five (5) business days>
5. Blocking or Hanning a User. Repeated violations of these Third Party Social Media User Terms and Conditions may result in a user being blocked or banned from the Social Media account where the violations occurred.
6. Accounts of Government Officials. Councilmember accounts deemed to be governmental accounts, pursuant to applicable law, will be maintained consistent with these Third Party Social Media User Terms And Conditions.
