TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Update to Board Policy 456, Social Media Use
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Considering approving an update to Board Policy 456, Social Media Use Policy.
Staff Contact:
Claudia Burgos, Executive Director of External Affairs & Customer Experience
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Strong Public and Policymaker Support
Initiative - Service Quality
Proposed changes to the social media policy aim to increase transparency and trust in the use of District social media platforms to interact with the public.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
No direct budgetary impact.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Board Policy 456 was adopted on March 11, 2020, and has not been amended since. Staff reviewed Board Policy 456 alongside similar policies from six other United States public transportation agencies to determine if additions or deletions are warranted. The social media policies reviewed by staff were those of Minneapolis Metro Transit, MN; Colorado Department of Transportation; Oregon Metro (TriMet), Portland OR; New Jersey Transit; Sound Transit, Seattle WA; and Lane Transit District, Eugene OR. Following the review of the above mentioned policies, Staff recommend three additions to the policy to enhance clarity, reduce risk, and comport with actual practice.
Section IV (D), Duty and Care - Staff proposes to add subsection (2), which outlines additional user participation terms and conditions. This section outlines specific offenses related to Board Policies that could lead to comment removal and/or blocking certain users from viewing or commenting on posts from District social media accounts. The additional detail will serve as a reference for why AC Transit’s authorized social media users may remove comments, hide comments, or block users. The proposed addition closely mirrors language found in policies by Lane Transit District and the Colorado Department of Transportation. Additionally, staff propose to add language that clarifies that District Administrative Regulations, in addition to specified and unspecified Board Policies and Ordinances, govern authorized staff use of social media.
Proposed Section IV (F), External Links Disclaimer - Staff propose to add a new section (F) that would serve as a liability disclaimer. It indicates that links appearing in AC Transit’s social media posts or comments do not constitute District endorsement of third-party content. This language is intended to protect the District from liability arising from malicious redirection, domain hijacking, other malicious link hacking, or incorrect or inappropriate information, as well as malicious or inappropriate links left by other users. Similar language can be found in the social media policies of the Colorado Department of Transportation, Oregon Metro, and New Jersey Transit.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Advantages: The proposed policy update would more clearly incorporate Board Policies, Ordinances, and Administrative Regulations governing District assets and staff activities; create more transparency around staff decisions to remove or hide comments or block users from commenting on District posts; and disclaim liability from links to third-party websites not under the control of the District. The update could reduce the potential for litigation over unclear policies impacting speech, or links to malicious, incorrect, or inappropriate websites.
Disadvantages: None identified.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Staff considered adding more sections that appear in other social media policies that were reviewed but determined that no further additions were necessary given the inclusion of relevant Board Policies and the note that other Board Policies, Ordinances, and Administrative Regulations were applicable.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Board Policy 145, 201, 213, 218, 440, and Ordinance 16.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Proposed updates to Board Policy 456.
Prepared by:
Jonathan Bair, Communications Manager
In Collaboration with:
Matthew Atencio, Digital Communications Specialist
Approved/Reviewed by:
Nichele Laynes, Director of Marketing, Communications & Customer Service
Claudia Burgos, Executive Director of External Affairs & Customer Experience
Aimee L. Steele, General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer