To: Board of Supervisors
From: Internal Operations Committee
Report Title: Updates to the County’s Social Media Policy
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE changes to the County’s Social Media Policy, last updated in August 2023, as summarized below and in Attachments 1 (no mark-up) and 2 (mark-up), and DIRECT the County Administrator to promulgate the updated policy:
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Proposed Changes to the Social Media Policy |
Rationale for Changes |
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Define direct messaging and allow its disabling |
To avoid receiving inappropriate content |
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Clarify advertising guidelines |
To prevent perceived endorsements |
|
Allow personal accounts for page management, in compliance with the administrative requirements of most social media platforms |
To improve authenticity and access |
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Ensure archiving of records |
To comply with retention requirements |
|
Allow departments the discretion to disable of comments for safety |
To protect employees from harassment and reduce mis- and disinformation |
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
Social media is optional for departments but serves as a valuable communication tool. The Board of Supervisors approved the County’s first Social Media Policy in June 2014, updated in August 2023. This policy promotes consistency across over 100 county accounts on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (X), NextDoor, and YouTube, while allowing departmental flexibility. It offers guidance on content, emergency use, public forum commenting, and records retention. The Board requests annual updates on the Social Media Policy. The Office of Communication and Media (OCM) worked with department public information officers and Department Heads to review and update the policy.
On September 22, 2025, OCM Director Kristi Jourdan presented proposed revisions to the Social Media Policy to the Internal Operations Committee. The updates incorporate definitions of new terminology and offer clarification or modifications to certain policies to enhance the ability to respond effectively to emerging threats and situations. She also highlighted the need to archive social media records for compliance and allow departments to disable comments when safety concerns arise.
Ms. Jourdan concluded by discussing the implications of artificial intelligence on content creation and the County's cautious approach regarding TikTok due to security concerns. The IOC and County department information officers remain concerned about potential AI misuse. The County has an AI Policy and staff recognize the future intersections between AI and content creation. Both the Social Media and AI policies will be reviewed and updated regularly to maintain their relevance.
The County tracks its webpages and accounts with limited media monitoring tools, while public information officers and webmasters routinely monitor and report social media issues. Besides reporting to social media platforms, the best approach continues to be the sharing of accurate updates on the County's efforts to improve community life. Following recent AI misuse incidents, the Committee instructed the OCM to create a protocol for addressing false content about County government.
Ms. Jourdan also reported on President Trump's announcement on September 19th regarding a U.S.-China agreement to retain TikTok's presence in the United States, with Oracle managing TikTok's algorithm for U.S. users. With the potential relocation and management of TikTok data on U.S. servers, the risk of international data leakages is reduced. However, other risks remain. ByteDance retains ownership and may influence updates and algorithm licensing. Additionally, the TikTok application itself may continue to pose device-level risks, including data collection and the potential for malware on certain mobile operating systems. The DoIT Information Security team advises ongoing monitoring and reassessment once Oracle fully implements its TikTok venture.
DoIT currently does not recommend restricting TikTok or other third-party social media applications. However, County-issued devices should be used only for County business needs and in accordance with baseline cybersecurity requirements as per current administrative and IT usage, security, and external vendor policies.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board declines to accept the recommendations, County departments will lack centralized and easily accessible guidance on social media administration and troubleshooting.