Emporia City Commissioners discussed social media policies for city officials and staff Wednesday afternoon. City Attorney Christina Montgomery said the policy is aimed at navigating the complex legal landscape surrounding government use of social media platforms. Montgomery emphasized the importance of distinguishing between personal and official use of social media. “There can be a fine line between your private usage of social media platforms to communicate with people and your public position as a state commissioner,” she explained. “Your personal social media platforms can be considered government use accounts.” The proposed policy stems from recent Supreme Court case law addressing social media usage by government officials and its interaction with citizens’ free speech rights.
Source: Emporia Gazette