Social Media Disclaimer and Comment Policy 

You have been directed to this website page from a York County Government Social Media Site. The following Disclaimer/Policy applies to the use of all York County Social Media sites.

York County Social Media Disclaimer/Policy:

Purpose:

The purpose of York County's participation in social media is to enhance communication, collaboration, information exchange and transparency from the County to its residents. York County uses social media to engage and educate residents, to learn about needs and concerns, to contribute to relevant conversations, and to promote County programs and services.

Information Accuracy:

Despite efforts to keep County provided information timely and accurate, users should be aware that the information available through York County social media accounts may not be timely, accurate, or complete.

Third-party comments and/or posts expressed on this site do not reflect the opinions or positions of York County, South Carolina, or its officers, agents, affiliates, or employees nor does York County guarantee the accuracy of such information posted by members of the public.

Furthermore, publication of a comment or post does not imply endorsement of or agreement by the County of York, nor do such comments reflect the opinions or policies of the York County Council.

All persons that appear on York County social media pages as suspects or wanted individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Monitoring:

The County considers its social media accounts to be moderated, limited discussion sites and not public forums. While York County makes reasonable efforts to monitor and/or moderate comments posted on its social media platforms, York County cannot always respond in a timely manner. York County will only respond to comments during standard business hours.

For any type of emergency or to report a crime, DO NOT use York County social media pages. For emergencies and/or to report a crime, please call 9-1-1.

Terms of Participation:

Transparent communication of County services and initiatives is important to York County. Since our community includes people of all ages and backgrounds, this disclaimer is intended to ensure that all posted comments are appropriate for all ages; courteous and respectful of others; and related to matters, activities, programs, policies, or operations relevant to York County. Therefore, anyone who posts a comment or post to a York County social media site must agree to the following terms of participation:

• Users will treat others with respect.

• Users warrant that they own or have permission to post the information contained in their postings, including but not limited to video, photos, or digital reproductions and that the posting does not infringe on a copyright or trademark.

• Users of this site do not retain any rights over their postings. Postings are intended for public view, and any personal information posted constitutes a waiver of any rights to privacy or confidentiality.

• Users must comply with any and all terms or statements of use of specific third-party services (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). York County reserves the right to report any violation to the specific service in accordance with the policies to the third-party service.

Prohibited Comments/Posts:

While a comment/post will not be removed based on a person’s or third-party’s opinion or viewpoint, the below (including but not limited to) types of comments/posts are prohibited on York County social media sites and are subject to removal by the County:

• Posts and comments that contain language that is considered defamatory, offensive, threatening and/or harassing.

• Posts or comments that target or disparage any race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regards to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or content otherwise deemed inappropriate.

• Posts or comments that are obscene or possess sexual content or links to obscene or sexual content.

• Posts and comments that are spam or include links to other sites.

• Posts and comments not related to the original topic or clearly off topic, including random or unintelligible comments.

• Posts and comments that are in violation of any federal, state or local law, or advocate illegal activity.

• Posts and comments that promote particular services, products, or political organizations.

• Political comments or posts promoting, opposing, or advertising any person campaigning for election to a political office or promoting or opposing ballot propositions.

• Posts and comments that infringe on copyrights or trademarks unless posted with the copyright holder’s consent.

• Post or comments with personally identifiable information, including but not limited to, Social Security Numbers, home or business addresses, e-mail addresses, or phone numbers.

• Posts or comments with solicitations, solicitations of funds or advertisements, including promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial, or non-governmental agency; as well as, solicitations to commit, or speech integral to, criminal conduct.

• Defamation (libel/slander)

• Fraud

• Posts or comments that contain information that could compromise the safety or security of the public, public officials, York County employees, or public systems.

• Posts or comments that include content that could compromise an ongoing investigation, and police tactics.

• Posts or comments with content that could violate the legal ownership interest of any other party. Intellectual property or proprietary information posted without the permission or approval of the owner, including copyrighted or trademarked images or graphics and images not owned by the user.

• Posts or comments that contain viruses or similar harmful programs, including spam and similar content.

• Duplicate posts

• Posts or comments that include embedded links to external websites or applications

• Posts and Comments of a troll and/or automatic software programs such as bot accounts.

Removal of Comments and Social Media Users:

York County Government reserves the right to delete comments and/or posts at any time that do not comply with this policy. After deletion of a comment, York County social media administrator(s) will provide notice to users who violate the County’s Social Media Policy through the respective social media-messaging tool and/or email address, if provided. Within the notice, York County social media administrator(s) will provide:

o A digital link to its Social Media Policy

o Reasoning for the deletion of the user’s comment(s)

o Notice of access denial if violation of the policy occurs again.

York County reserves the right to deny access to the County’s social media sites for any individual who continues to violate York County’s Social Media Policy following at least one notice to the user that inappropriate content has been deleted by the County.

Responsibility of Content:

Site administrators, writers, third-parties, and social media users are fully responsible for the content they submit. Users participate at their own risk and are personally responsible for their own comments, username, and any information provided. York County disclaims any liability for advertisements, videos, promoted content, posts or comments posted by visitors to this page.

Posts or Comments Subject to Freedom of Information Act Laws:

Any comments or postings submitted to York County social media sites may be subject to disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act found in S.C. Code § 30-4-10 et seq. For that reason, users should refrain from including telephone numbers, home addresses, email addresses, and any other private information.

No communications or requests to York County through social media shall be deemed to constitute legal or official notice for any purpose.

Liability:

York County expressly disclaims liability for any viruses or other contamination of a user’s computer system or other devices used to access York County social media platforms.

York County does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by users on this site is correct. York County disclaims any responsibility or liability for any misstatement and/or misunderstanding on the part of the users.

York County expressly disclaims liability for actions or decisions taken or not taken based on any or all contents of its social media sites. York County disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss (directly or indirectly) or damage(s) resulting from reliance on any such information. To the best of the County’s knowledge, the content was correct at the time of publishing. Interested parties should rely only upon their own further direct inquiries with York County before taking any such decisions or actions.

York County Social Media Contact:

If you have any questions concerning the operation of York County’s social media sites, please contact the York County Public Information Officer at 803-684-8599 or [email protected].

This policy is subject to change without notice.

June 22, 2020

View the York County Social Media Retention Policy