Southold regulates workers' social-site use

Southold has a new social media policy that regulates which employees can have official town blogs or social media pages and determines what is allowed on personal pages if individuals identify themselves anywhere on the site as town employees.

The policy, enacted last month and distributed to town employees, says that if an employee lists the town as a place of work, the employee is responsible for following town guidelines, even on personal Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages, among other social media sites and personal blogs.

Among the regulations listed are putting a disclaimer that makes it clear opinions are that of the author, not the town, and prohibiting employees from making job recommendations or referrals. They also cannot publish photographs, videos or quotes of others without obtaining permission.

It also outlines rules on disclosing confidential information, not plagiarizing content, and not writing anything that can be actionable as slander or libel. Violations could result in disciplinary action, including termination, according to the policy.

Official social media pages, used during town business and hours, must be authorized by a department head. Any other use of social media during town hours is prohibited, according to the new policy.

Supervisor Scott Russell said the policy was designed to protect the town and the individual's civil liberties.

The Suffolk Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union said the policy needs a "wait-and-see" approach to determine how it will be enforced.

"The online landscape we have in place these days creates challenges for both employers and employees," said its director, Amol Sinha. "We all have basic free expression rights, but employers also have the responsibility to create a professional, harassment-free workplace."

While other towns have rules for employees regarding use of town equipment to get on websites, only Southold appears to have language regarding use on private equipment and time. Huntington officials say they plan to discuss social media policy issues at their July 11 town board meeting.