Under Administrative Code Section 19B.2(b) the Department of Elections ('Elections') seeks Board of Supervisors approval of a Surveillance Technology Policy regarding the use of social media monitoring technology.

The proposed Surveillance Technology Policy would authorize Elections to use the technology to plan and execute more effective and strategic campaigns across social media platforms, schedule multiple social media posts in advance, create and monitor multiple streams of content across social media platforms, and maintain an active presence that is automated on days when staff are not working.

The Board of Supervisors finds that the benefits of Elections’ use of social media monitoring technology outweigh the costs and risks. The technology will safeguard civil liberties and civil rights, and its use will not be based on discriminatory factors or have a disparate impact on any community or Protected Class.

The technology is intended to help Elections plan and execute effective campaigns, maintain consistent messaging across platforms, and track post performance for improved strategy.

COIT and its Privacy and Surveillance Advisory Board conducted public hearings, considered the Surveillance Impact Report, and developed the Surveillance Technology Policy, which COIT recommended for adoption by the Board of Supervisors.

While the quote regarding accountability was not found due to a technical error when accessing the relevant section, the compliance section indicates there are accountability measures in place, as provided in the document.