Social Media Policy

The Office of State Auditor (OSA) aims to use social media to provide information of public interest members of the public. We encourage commenters to engage by submitting comments and questions about the posted topics and by sharing OSA’s information with others. We welcome participation on our social-media platforms and encourage commenters to post non-offensive content with a civil tone and a respectful demeanor.

Comments may be hidden or removed if in the OSA moderator’s reasonable and good-faith belief they contain, constitute, or link to any of the following:
• Off-topic discussions unrelated to OSA’s responsibilities, reports, programs, services,
projects, issues, events, or activities;
• Private, protected, or confidential information as defined by State law;
• Personal information about any person, including but not limited to home address, home
or mobile phone number, and personal email address;
• Content that violates the legal ownership interest of any other party, such as copyright or
trademark infringement;
• Slanderous or defamatory language;
• Personal harassment of or ad hominem attacks of any kind against another poster;
• Content that may compromise the safety or security of an individual, the public, or public
systems;
• Language encouraging or supporting illegal activity or violence;
• Abusive, vulgar, offensive, threatening, or harassing language;
• Offensive terms that target or malign specific individuals or groups;
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination against protected classes;
• Profanity, nudity, indecency, or obscenity;
• Sexual harassment content;
• “Spam,” including advertisements, solicitations of commerce, or promotion of services or
products; or
• Disruptively repetitive content.

GUIDANCE AND TENOR
OSA will promote a level of decorum conducive to respectful, participatory self-governance. The OSA does not discriminate on the basis of identity or anonymity of the commenter or the commenter’s viewpoint. Comments that express agreement or disagreement with a particular position will not be removed, so long as the comments meet the standards listed above.

VIOLATIONS
The standards outlined in this policy will be strictly enforced. Violators of this policy may have their comments removed from OSA’s official social-media platforms as described below. Continued or egregious violations of this policy may prompt the agency to further restrict an individual’s ability to participate on any official social-media platforms.

PROCESS FOR REMOVING COMMENTS OR BANNING USERS
When OSA’s moderator suspects a violation of these policy standards, the moderator may invite the commenter to engage in a more productive manner or request that the commenter remove the disputed content. Alternatively, the moderator may immediately remove the content. If a commenter commits more than three violations in one month, OSA’s moderator will block or mute the commenter’s access to OSA social media, subject to reinstatement through the appeal process described below.

In addition, OSA reserves the right to report to the social-media platform any content that may violate the platform’s terms of service. OSA will forward all content that may violate state or federal law to the appropriate law enforcement agency for prosecution.

APPEAL AND ACCESS RESTORATION PROCESS
A user may only appeal an action related to the user’s own account. To have a comment unhidden or an account unblocked, the user must appeal to OSA’s Public Information Officer by sending an e-mail within five calendar days of the disputed OSA action to jlarson@utah.gov. The PIO will not consider an appeal received after this deadline.

Within 14 business days of a user’s timely appeal about a comment, OSA will restore the comment to public view if the PIO determines in his or her sole discretion that the comment did not violate the standards described above.

Within 14 business days of a user’s request to unblock the commenter’s account, OSA will unblock the user’s account if the PIO determines in his or her sole discretion that either (a) the commenter has stated sufficient grounds for reinstatement or (b) a sufficient period of time has passed since OSA blocked the account.

“Sufficient grounds for reinstatement” include, but are not limited to, a statement that the user will abide by this policy in the future. When a user has provided such a statement in response to a previous blocking or adverse action, providing such a statement shall not be sufficient grounds for reinstatement for any subsequent violation.”

“A sufficient period of time” is any time after (a) one month after the account was blocked for the first violation of these standards or (b) six months if the account has previously been blocked for violation of these standards.”

A user may appeal the PIO’s decision to the state auditor by sending an e-mail to the Director of Communication at rrampton@utah.gov within five business days after the PIO’s decision. The state auditor will not consider an appeal received after this deadline. The state auditor will exercise his or her sole discretion to uphold or reverse, in whole or in part, the PIO’s decision. The state auditor’s decision is final and may not be appealed.

REPORTING INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT
OSA will monitor its social-media accounts as regularly as possible but cannot guarantee continuous monitoring. Users may report inappropriate content to the moderators of the social media website or contact OSA at 801-538-1025 at any time to identify comments or other conduct that may violate this policy or applicable law.

GENERAL NOTICES
• OSA is under no obligation to respond to constituent requests or concerns in social-media comments. Individuals who wish to report concerns about potentially improper governmental activities within state and local government should contact the OSA Hotline by sending an email to auditorhotline@utah.gov or calling 801-538-9777.
• OSA may determine in its sole discretion whether to participate in public discussions about audits, ongoing investigations, pending or planned actions, or any other legal or ethical obligations.
• Comments are the opinion of the commenter and do not reflect the opinion or policy of the state auditor, OSA, or any OSA officers, employees, or agents.
• Comments may be subject to public disclosure under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA).
• Legal notices and other requests—including (1) records requests under GRAMA; (2) service of Notices of Claim required as a condition to bring suit against the State, an arm of the State, or its employees; or (3)service of summonses or subpoenas—may not be made through social-media comments. Any attempt to provide legal notice through social media will not constitute valid compliance with statutory notice and service requirements, and OSA will have no duty to respond.
• Comments made on this page do not constitute official notice or comment for any rulemaking.
• Information posted on OSA’s social media is provided on an “as is” basis, and all individuals who view the material assume the risk of use or reliance on such information. The state auditor, OSA, and OSA’s officers, employees, and agents are not
liable for any injury or damage resulting from viewing, distributing, or copying materials on a social-media platform or account, including without limitation indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages. OSA makes no warranty that information posted, or comments to any postings, are free of copyright claims or other restrictions on free use.
• Throughout this policy, “user,” “commenter,” “poster,” and other related terms refer to an individual or entity that accesses and views OSA’s social-media accounts and/or posts comments, links, or other material to OSA’s social-media accounts.