City of Beaufort updates social media comment policy

BEAUFORT, S.C. (WTOC) - The City of Beaufort is updating its social media community comment policy to better support public engagement and transparency online.

Beaufort City Council passed the new policy Tuesday night, as a way to address misinformation, uncivil comments and spam on City of Beaufort social media pages.

The policy also sets the following comment guidelines:

• Reasonable and relevant to the post or topic of discussion.
•  Respectful and civil, and must not include obscene, profane, threatening, or abusive language.
• Free of personal attacks upon or harassment of any person.
• Non-discriminatory, and must not target or insult any individual or group based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or any other protected status.
• Non-commercial, meaning they may not include advertising, solicitations, endorsements, or promotion of businesses, services, or products.
• Free of spam, repetitive posts, or content intended to disrupt or dominate discussion.
• Free of confidential, private, or legally protected information, including personnel matters or ongoing investigations.

City leaders did raise questions about the first standard that states comments must be “reasonable and relevant” to the post or topic of discussion.

“I think that leaves a lot of room for subjectivity,” said council member Josh Scallate. “I don’t think that’s very clear.”

Councilman Scallate also raised concerns about having a clear appeals process. The current policy states:

“Comments that violate this policy may be hidden or removed in accordance with applicable law. Users who repeatedly violate the policy may be restricted from commenting on City social media pages.”

The council voted to amend the policy to include an appeals process that gives online users five days to appeal a decision by writing or emailing the city manager.

Beaufort City Council also voted to remove the “reasonable and relevant” standard.

The new policy also states ‘All comments and messages are subject to applicable public records laws.’