Committee forwards multi-department social media monitoring policy to full Board

The Rules Committee voted Nov. 27 to forward a consolidated Administrative Code 19B surveillance technology policy for social media monitoring that would cover 28 city departments.

COIT staff said the multi-department policy was developed from prior social media monitoring policies and is intended to standardize how departments schedule posts, monitor public-facing accounts, search public content by keyword, label and save conversations, and analyze outreach effectiveness. Authorized uses identified in the policy are: publishing a department's content; communicating with social media users about department news and services; and analyzing social-media data to assess outreach and optimize messaging.

PSAB and COIT recommended approval, and COIT staff noted a subsequent non-substantive correction for the San Francisco Department of the Environment's job titles and address information. There was no public comment. The committee moved the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation by unanimous vote.