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Henry County, GA – Social Media Policy

The purpose of Henry County’s social media, online presence is to present matters of public interest concerning Henry County’s programs, activities, news and photos and to otherwise augment and enhance County transparency and access. Several sites welcome your comments, however, please note that the County’s social media sites are moderated, online discussion and/or information sites and not intended as a traditional public or limited-purpose public forum. Please do not report emergencies or ask for assistance on social media sites. For emergency situations, dial 911. For non-emergency information, Henry County can be reached during business hours at 770-288-6000 and at www.henrycounty-ga.org.

As it pertains to social media forums operated by Henry County Government, the county may remove a submission by the public if, in the reasonable discretion of the county official monitoring the site, it falls within one of the foregoing categories. The county also reserves the right to ban or revoke posting privileges of commenters/posters who repeatedly post comments that violate this policy. Monitoring of the site will generally occur during normal county business hours. Also, please keep in mind that the county’s social media sites are internet pages on a third party social media site which owns and operates the site. The third party provider will have its own policies and standards concerning what may and may not be posted and the actions that it may take with regard to posts in violation of pertinent standards. It is recommended that you review applicable site policies prior to posting. Please be aware that the county may remove “robo spam” and/or comments by “social bots” (i.e. content posted by automatic software programs, or “bots”) if necessary to ensure access for the general public.

Furthermore, while we encourage discussion on several social media pages, we respectfully request that commenters/posters be mindful that the sites are accessible to the public and that commenters/posters should be courteous and civil toward one another. The county is not responsible for, and neither endorses nor opposes, comments placed on the site by visitors to the site. Commenters/posters are personally responsible for their own comments, username, and/or any information placed on the page.

While the public’s submissions will not be edited by county personnel, the county reserves the right to approve comments before they are posted and remove those that include the following:

• Comments unrelated to the purpose and topical scope of the page. The page is not intended for comments that do not relate to the purpose or topical scope of the page;
• Obscenity;
• Pornography;
• Incitement to imminent lawless action;
• Comments disclosing identifiable medical information;
• Speech presenting a grave and imminent threat to public safety or property or that may imperil an ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution;
• Fighting words;
• Threats against other persons;
• Comments encouraging or promoting fraudulent activity;
• Defamation (libel/slander);
• Solicitations to commit, or speech integral to, criminal conduct;
• Promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial transaction;
• Promotion in favor of, or in opposition to, a candidate campaigning for election to a political office;
• Copyrighted material (if posted without the copyright holder’s consent); or
• Spam or links to other sites

OPEN RECORDS ACT NOTIFICATION Every comment or posting made to the site is a public record and may be disseminated, reproduced, or copied by Henry County or any other person without any further action by the poster or without notice by Henry County. The material may also be forwarded to third parties. By posting on the site, you are agreeing that you have no expectation of privacy in any submissions made to the site. Questions regarding this policy should be sent to the Henry County Communications Department at [email protected]. This policy is subject to amendment or modification at any time. By commenting or posting material to any Henry County, Georgia social media site you agree that every time you visit the site you will be bound by the terms of this policy as it presently exists and as it may be amended from time to time.