Weed Addresses Legal Issues about Government-Sponsored Social Media
Federal, state, and local government officials around the country participated in an online seminar featuring the Institute's Murray Weed that addressed the legal considerations of social media use. At a time when many governments and agencies have already begun to communicate via social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, Murray delved into some of the legal questions that officials need to consider.
Weed explained that Open Records and Open Meetings laws, originally designed for more traditional communications and forums, still apply to activities that happen online. Because these technologies are so new, many governments have not yet established clear guidelines for their use. He recommended they develop social media policies that dictate posting practices and record keeping that includes comments left by the public.
"Also important if a government is going to use social media," commented Murray, "is the inclusion of disclaimers that alert participants to the kind of forum they are using."
Murray is a frequent lecturer about Georgia's Open Records and Open Meetings laws for the American Bar Association, which was the sponsor of this last seminar. Murray is the manager of the Vinson Institute's local government training team and has worked as a city and county attorney for number of governments.
