Social Media Disclaimer

Disclaimer: The City of Great Falls’ use of social media is for informational purposes only and the City assumes no responsibility or liability for content not posted by the City. Posted comments do not necessarily reflect the views of the City of Great Falls. The City is not responsible for the security of social media sites and/or any applications that reside outside the City’s domain. Communications sent via the internet or through social media sites shall in no way be deemed to constitute legal notice to the City of Great Falls and/or any of its employees where notice to the City is required by any law, rule, regulation or contract.  The City’s official source of information is https://greatfallsmt.net.

 

Moderating of Third Party Content

The purpose of utilizing social media is to provide timely information regarding the City of Great Falls to its many residents, businesses and visitors and is subject to monitoring. The City does not necessarily review posted content on a regular basis.

We encourage users to submit comments. Once comments are posted, the City reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to remove (if possible) user-generated posts. Removal criteria includes, but is not limited to, content which:

  • Is off-subject or out of context
  • Contains obscene, lewd, offensive, profane, or sexually explicit content
  • Contains confidential or sensitive personal information
  • Contains threatening, harassing, hateful or discriminatory language
  • Incites violence or illegal activities
  • Contains information that reasonably could compromise individual or public safety
  • Consists solely of commercial advertising
  • Promotes or endorses political campaigns or candidates
  • Infringes upon intellectual property, copyright or trademark rights of others
  • Includes spam or links to other sites which violate any City guidelines
  • Violates Federal, State or Local laws
  • Is requested for removal by subject of the post

 

Public Records Law

City social media sites are subject to applicable public records laws.  Any content maintained in a social media format related to City business, including communication posted by the City and communication received from citizens, is a public record.  The City Clerk’s office is responsible for responding to public records requests, including social media content.  Further, please be advised that Users participate at their own risk, taking personal responsibility for comments, username and any information provided. Content of social media sites is an effective and accepted form of communication but should not be construed as private. The posting of comments on social media sites creates a transitory record. These types of records are not official records, however like e-mail, posts to social media sites may constitute City legal records and may be subject to retention requirements of the Local Government Records Committee. The City of Great Falls complies with Montana Records Management laws regarding retention of social media content.