City Website Privacy Policy & Disclaimer

Any individual accessing, browsing, and using a City of Oak Harbor Social Media site accepts without limitation or qualification, the City's Social Media Policies (hereafter "Policies").

These terms and conditions apply only to the Social Media sites that facilitate social interaction and dialogue, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube) that are managed by the City of Oak Harbor. The City of Oak Harbor maintains the right to modify these Policies without notice. Any modification is effective immediately upon posting the modification on the Social Media Policy page unless otherwise stated. Continued use of a City of Oak Harbor Social Media site following the posting of any modification signifies acceptance of such modification.

All users of a City of Oak Harbor Social Media site are also subject to all third-party site's Privacy Policies. The City of Oak Harbor has no control over a third-party site's privacy policies or their modifications to it. The City of Oak Harbor also has no control over the content, commercial advertisements, or other postings produced by third-party Social Media sites that appear on the City of Oak Harbor Social Media site as part of the site's environment.

The City of Oak Harbor operates and maintains its Social Media sites as a public service to provide information about City programs, services, projects, issues, events and activities. The City of Oak Harbor assumes no liability for any inaccuracies these Social Media sites may contain and does not guarantee that the Social Media sites will be uninterrupted, permanent, or error-free.

Posts Policy

Although we encourage posts and comments on City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites that allow posts, these sites are limited public forums and are moderated by City staff. All posted content (comments, photos, links, etc.) must be related to the topic at hand. The following are prohibited on City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites:

  • Comments not topically related to the particular post being commented upon
  • Posts and comments that promote or advertise commercial services, entities or products except as stipulated in City marketing plans and determined by the City to be essential to economic development
  • Political statements, including comments that endorse or oppose political candidates or ballot propositions, are prohibited under state law (RCW 42.52.180)
  • Posts and comments that promote, foster or perpetuate discrimination on the basis of creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation
  • Posts and comments that include vulgar, offensive, threatening or harassing language, personal attacks or unsupported accusations
  • Obscene or sexual content or links to obscene or sexual content
  • Illegal activity or encouragement of illegal activity
  • Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems
  • Comments from children under 13 cannot be posted in order to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. By posting on a City social media site, users acknowledge that they are at least 13 years old. Those 12 years old or younger may email the City instead
  • Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party
  • Anonymous posts

The City of Oak Harbor reserves the right to remove posted content that does not comply with these Policies. Posted content will not be edited by the City. All posts and comments uploaded to City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites that allow posts will be periodically reviewed. All posts and comments are public records subject to public disclosure under the Public Records Act.

Communications made through City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites in no way constitute a legal or official notice or comment to the City of Oak Harbor. (For example, a post or comment that asks for public records will not be considered public records request under Chapter 42.56 RCW.) To comment about a specific city project or program, please contact the appropriate City department.

Links Policy

Links to Other Social Media Sites & External Websites Provided on City of Oak Harbor Social Media Sites

The City of Oak Harbor may select links to other Social Media sites (third-party sites) and outside websites that offer helpful resources for users. Once an individual links to another page or site, the City's Policies no longer apply and you become subject to the policies of that page or site. The City of Oak Harbor's Social Media sites are intended specifically to share information about City programs, events, and services. The City of Oak Harbor is not responsible for the content that appears on third-party sites. The City provides links to third-party sites as a convenience only. Users should be aware that these external pages and sites and the information found on those pages and sites are not controlled by, provided by or endorsed by the City of Oak Harbor. The City reserves the right to delete links posted by outside individuals that violate the City's Posts Policy at any time without notice.

Links by Other Entities to City of Oak Harbor Social Media Sites

It is not necessary to get advance permission to link to City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites; however, entities and individuals linking to City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites may not capture any of the City's Social Media sites within frames, present City of Oak Harbor content as their own or otherwise misrepresent any of the City's Social Media site content. Furthermore, they shall not misinform users about the origin or ownership of City of Oak Harbor Social Media site content. Links to City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites should not in any way suggest that the City of Oak Harbor has any relationship or affiliation with that organization or that the City endorses, sponsors, or recommends the information, products, or services of that site.

Copyright Policy

All information and materials generated by the City of Oak Harbor and provided on City of Oak Harbor Social Media sites are the property of the City of Oak Harbor. The City retains copyright on all text, graphic images, and other content that was produced by the City of Oak Harbor and found on the page. You may print copies of information and material for your own non-commercial use, provided that you retain the copyright symbol or other such proprietary notice intact on any copyrighted materials you copy. Please include a credit line reading: "credit: City of Oak Harbor Facebook (or Twitter or YouTube) Page" or "Courtesy of City of Oak Harbor."

Commercial use of text, City logos, photos and other graphics is prohibited without the express written permission of the City of Oak Harbor. Use of the City logo is prohibited for any non-governmental purpose. Any person reproducing or redistributing a third-party copyright must adhere to the terms and conditions of the third-party copyright holder. If you are a copyright holder and you feel that the City of Oak Harbor did not use an appropriate credit line please notify the City Public Information Officer with detailed information about the circumstances, so that the copyright information can be added or the material in question can be removed.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about the City of Oak Harbor Social Media Policy or its implementation, or if you find incorrect information or are interested in seeking permissions that fall outside of the policies above, please contact the City's Communication/IT Manager.