Kanawha County Commission Seeks Ruling on Social Media Ethics

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper is asking state ethics officials whether county officials can publicly recognize business owners and post photos on social networking sites like Facebook.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the state Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion saying public officials should post photographs of themselves only on the home page of governmental websites or on biographical pages.

Carper is asking the Ethics Commission for an opinion on whether the rule also applies to social media websites.

Carper sent a letter to the Ethics Commission Wednesday asking about what is allowed on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Carper also asked if there are restrictions for public officials’ personal Facebook pages, and whether it’s OK to use public resources to manage or post on a personal Facebook page.