Idaho Department of Commerce Social Media Policy

The intended purposes of the site is to serve as a mechanism of communication between Idaho Department of Commerce (IDC) page administrators and members of the public. Submission of comments by members of the public constitutes participation in a limited public forum. A comment posted by a member of the public on any IDC social media and/or online site is the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of the comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, IDC, nor do such comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of IDC. Comments by IDC page administrators on IDC social media and/or online sites shall be allowed only when consistent with the provisions of this policy. Comments by the general public shall be allowed on limited public forums, such as IDC social media and/or online sites, only when consistent with the provisions of this policy. Comments containing any of the following inappropriate forms of content shall not be permitted on any type of IDC social media and/or online site and are subject to editing, removal or restriction, in whole or in part, by IDC page administrators:

  • Comments not topically related to the particular social medium thread or topic or article being commented upon. For example, if an Idaho Tourism page administrator posts an article about a tourist destination, and a user posts a negative comment about an Idaho Tourism employee;
  • Comments in support of or opposition to political campaigns or ballot measures of any kind;
  • Profane, obscene, or sexual language or content or links to such language or content;
  • Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression;
  • Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to, advertising of any business or product for sale;
  • Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
  • Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
  • Defamatory or personal attacks;
  • Threats to any person or organization;
  • Conduct that violates any federal, state, or local law; or
  • Conduct that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.

If illegal activity occurs, page administrators are expected to secure the information and notify the local police department.

If comments are related to the topic at hand, the content must be allowed to remain, regardless of whether it is favorable or unfavorable to IDC. For example, if an Idaho Tourism page administrator posts a video about a tourist destination, and a user posts a negative comment about that destination, the comment must be allowed to remain.

IDC reserves the right to deny any page administrator who violates this policy access to posting to IDC sites, at any time and without prior notice.

IDC reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this policy or any applicable law. Content submitted for posting that is deemed not suitable for posting by IDC page administrators because it is not topically related to the particular subject being commented upon, or is otherwise deemed prohibited content based on the criteria set forth in this policy, must be retained in accordance with the relevant records retention schedule. Such content shall be accompanied by a description of the reason it is deemed not suitable for posting along with the time, date, and identity of the poster when available.