Social Media Terms of Use
Purpose
By posting or commenting on any social media platform used by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics & Public Trust (COE), you participate by your own choice, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information you provide therein. You further agree to the following terms of use:
The COE maintains a social media presence for the purpose of engaging and interacting with the community, providing relevant and timely community news, releasing information regarding meetings and trainings, distribution of information regarding ethics ordinances, and for those community members having an interest in getting to know the COE and its purpose and mission.
Ownership
All social media communications messages composed, sent or received on the COE’s equipment or used in official COE business or representing the COE are the property of the COE and subject to public records. The COE reserves the right not to publish any posting, or to later remove it.
Limited Public Forum
All social media platforms used by the COE are designated as Limited Public Forums. The COE welcomes a person’s right to express his/her opinion and encourages posters to keep comments relevant to the topic in question.
Posting of any content on any social media platform used by the COE, by any visitor, follower, subscriber or fan, constitutes acceptance of the terms of use described here in this policy.
For purposes of this policy, a social media platform is the website or app offered to the public to provide audio, video, still-photo or written communication between other members of the public and/or representatives of certain groups, businesses, organizations or departments. Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, website blogs with commenting capabilities, and forums and emergency notification services. The definition of content as used in this policy refers to any written copy, photos, graphics, videos, live-video streams, comments or any form of communicative content exchanged between parties.
Endorsements
"Friending,” "Liking," or “Following” the COE does not indicate an endorsement of that person's actions or comments.
A comment posted by a member of the public on any COE social media site is the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of a comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the COE, nor do such comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the COE.
The COE’s social media platforms are intended to be suitable for all readers. When applicable, the COE uses each platform’s built-in monitoring systems to provide content moderation and filtering options to limit foul, indecent, or obscene content. The COE will remove inappropriate content as defined below, without prior notice, and as soon as possible. The COE shall reserve the right to remove, hide, and/or block anyone who posts inappropriate material as determined by the COE.
This material may include, but is not limited to:
• Non-topical, random, and unintelligible comments unrelated to the original topic;
• Profane, obscene, sexual content and/or language;
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
• Defamatory or personal attacks;
• Threats to any person or organization;
• Comments in support of, or opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures;
• Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to advertising of any business or product for sale (this includes other online pages or organizations asking for donations);
• Conduct in violation of any federal, state, or local law;
• Encouragement of illegal activity or violence;
• Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
• Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright, of any party;
• Harassment or content which constitutes and/or facilitates stalking;
• Content which violates the right to privacy;
• Comments that may reasonably interfere with, inhibit, or compromise law enforcement investigations; and
• Posts or comments that contain any external links.
Social media is intended to be used for informational purposes only. If the user wishes to contact the COE, they should visit our official website https://ethics.miamidade.gov or contact us directly at
(305) 579-2594.COE social media accounts and pages are maintained and moderated by the Public Information Officer to ensure that posted comments are constructive and suitable for all readers while respecting a range of opinions and points of view.Anyone posting comments contrary to this Terms of Use policy may be prohibited from future participation. The COE reserves the right to update these Terms of Use.Users post and comment to any official COE site or forum at their own risk. While proper use of such forums is required, the COE cannot guarantee that violations of the above code will not occur.
Under Florida law, any user post, comment, or message is a public record. If you do not want your name or posting released in response to a public-records request, do not post.The COE reserves the right to deny access to any COE social media sites for any individual, who violates the COE’s Social Media Terms of Use, at any time and without prior notice.
If you wish to contest the removal or hiding of your content, or your denial of access ("banned") from our social media platforms, you may do so by contacting us at (305) 579-2594.
External Links
The use of direct links should not be construed as an endorsement or sponsorship of these external sites, their content, or their hosts. The COE specifically disavows legal responsibility for what a user may find on another site, whether or not operated by the COE. The views and opinions of the authors of documents published on or linked to the COE’s social media accounts do not necessarily state or reflect the opinion, policy or position of the COE.
The COE is not responsible for the content, quality, accuracy or completeness of any offsite materials referenced by or linked through the COE’s social media accounts. By using the COE’s social networking sites, the user acknowledges and accepts the risk of injury or damage from viewing, hearing, downloading or storing such materials rests entirely with the user and that the COE is not responsible for any materials stored on other social networking sites or websites, nor is it liable for any inaccurate, defamatory, offensive or illegal materials found on other social networking sites or websites. The COE does not endorse any content, viewpoint, products or services linked from its social networking sites and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information.
The COE does not warrant the accuracy or reliability of or endorse any products or service providers listed or linked to its site.
Any questions regarding the COE's social media policy should always be directed to the COE’s Public Information Officer or General Counsel for clarification.