Why You Should Archive Social Media

Here are five facts for why you should archive your social media.

1. Social Media Is a Public Record

In all 50 states, social media is considered a public record, and agencies have an obligation to comply with open records laws.

Learn more about your state laws and regulations here.

2. Comments Are Critical

Open records laws maintain that you need to be able to produce social media records — both from your own content, but also from content your constituents create — in response to records requests.

3. Relying on Social Networks Is Flawed

The social networks were built to facilitate the online connection of billions of private citizens to one another. They are not built for, nor bound to, public records laws, and have no legal obligation to retain records.

4. “Screenshots” Are Not Compliant

Manual processes are inefficient for both capture & searching, and often inadmissible in court. Challenges with frequency of capture, lost deleted/revised content, and no meta-data to prove the authenticity of records leave agencies with significant risk. 

5. You Will Need to Produce Records

You are required by law to be able to produce social media content if there is a public request for it. Having a system in place that captures all content and meta-data is the only way of ensuring compliance. 

Want to learn more about social media archiving and how it works? Download the solution overview to get a detailed breakdown.