Social Media Terms of Use

Town of Needham’s Social Media Terms of Use Policy

1.     Moderation of Third Party Content

The Town’s social media sites and any particular posts in social media sites are not an open public forum. All third-party generated posts or comments must be related to the particular topic posted by the Town and may be rejected or removed (if possible) when the content:

• is unrelated to the subject of the original post;
• contains obscenity or material that appeals to the prurient interest;
• contains personal identifying information or sensitive personal information;
• is threatening, harassing or discriminatory;
• is potentially libelous;
• incites or promotes violence or illegal activities;
• contains information that reasonably could compromise individual or public safety;
• advertises or promotes a commercial product or service of any entity or individual; 
• violates intellectual property rights, including copyright or trademark;
• promotes or endorses political campaigns or candidates;
• contains links to phishing content or other content designed to compromise security; or 
• violates the law.

Any posting by third parties of third-party hyperlinks, images, applications, or references on the site must be for the purpose of providing users with information and resources related to the topic of the original post, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Town of Needham. 

2.  Non-Compliance by Third Parties

Non-compliance with these terms of use by third parties may result in any or all of the following: 

• removal of posts
• temporary or permanent block from posting 
• suspension or permanent block from accessing the site
• reporting to appropriate social media platform
• reporting to appropriate law enforcement authority.

 3. Public Records Law

Town created social media sites may be subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law. Content received by or maintained in any Town social media account may be a public record. The Town is responsible for responding completely and accurately to any public records request for social media content published by the Town.

For a more complete discussion of the implications of the Public Records Law for social media, please refer to Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Secretary of State's Office Guide to the Public Records Law (PDF), which includes FAQs as well as the text of the statute.