Public & Government Affairs

Infringement Notice

Clackamas County (“the County”) respects the intellectual property rights of others. Under the Digital  Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 the County will respond promptly to claims of copyright infringement if such claims are reported to the County using pga@clackamas.us.

If you are a copyright owner, authorized to act on behalf of one, or authorized to act under any exclusive right under copyright, please report alleged copyright infringement by completing the Notice of Alleged Infringement and delivering it to the County. Upon receipt of the Notice the County will take whatever action, in its sole discretion, it deems appropriate, including removal of the challenged content from county social media.

DMCA Notice of Alleged Infringement (“Notice”)

1. Identify the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed, or if multiple copyrighted works are covered by this Notice you may provide a list of the copyrighted works that you claim have been infringed.
2. Identify the material or link you claim is infringing (or the subject of infringing activity), including at a minimum, if applicable, the URL of the link shown on the Site or the exact location where such material may be found.
3. Provide your company affiliation (if applicable), contact information including mailing address, telephone number and email address.
4. Include both of the following statements in the body of the Notice:
   • I hereby state that I have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law (e.g. as a fair use).”
   • I hereby state that the information in this Notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that I am the owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or of an exclusive right under the copyright that is allegedly infringed.”
5. Provide your full legal name and your electronic or physical signature.

Submission

Deliver this Notice, with all items completed, to pga@clackamas.us.

Agreement

By submitting content to Clackamas County ("the County") you certify that you have read and agree to these Terms and Conditions and agree to comply with Clackamas County's Social Media Policies, which are incorporated here and made part of these Terms and Conditions.

By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions, you certify that you will not submit content that does not comply with this Agreement, Clackamas County's Social Media Policies, or applicable law.

You understand and agree that these Terms and Conditions grant the County a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free perpetual license to reproduce, display, distribute, and otherwise use your User-Generated Content ("UGC") on County communications for the customary and intended purposes of the communication.

You agree to waive, release, and discharge Clackamas County, its officers, employees, officials, and agents, from any and all claims, causes of action, demands, damages, costs, of any nature whatsoever, whether known or unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with the UCG. You agree to hold harmless, defend, and indemnify Clackamas County, its elected officials, officers, employees, officials, and agents against from and against any and all claims, causes of action, demands, damages, costs, of any nature whatsoever, whether known or unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with the UCG.

Submitting Content and Certification

By submitting any content for use in County communications you represent and warrant to the County that: you are either (a) the sole owner/creator of the UGC you submit to the County, and no one else has any rights to it or could claim they own it or that the use of the UGC infringes on the rights of others; or (b) if you are not the sole owner of the content, you have obtained all intellectual property rights to the content and certify that you have the right to grant those rights to the County. You also certify that submitting the content will not violate any law or the rights of any person.

You certify that you obtained all required permissions/consents from others to post the content on County communications including social media. You also certify that you have obtained all required consents before an individual's personal information, including photographs, video, audio, or medical information, is used as UGC. You understand and agree that you bear all responsibility for protecting the confidentiality of any information that you submit to the County

By submitting content to the County to use your UGC you certify that you are over 18 years of age.

You shall not impersonate anyone else or otherwise misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or status. You agree not to provide materials and misleading information knowingly and with the intent to defraud. You shall not upload, distribute, or otherwise provide to Clackamas County social media any malware, viruses, spyware, or other malicious software or files. You shall not use automated means to distribute, or otherwise provide any content onto Clackamas County social media.

When submitting content to Clackamas County, you must not submit any content that does not comply with this Agreement or the law. For example, the content you submit must not include third-party intellectual property (such as copyrighted material or trademarks) unless you have written permission from that party or are otherwise legally entitled to use such content.

By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions you certify that you will not provide content that:

• Uses vulgar, profane, violent, sexist, racist, threatening, or other derogatory or offensive language or imagery.
• Is for personal gain.
• Is stolen.
• Uses inappropriate humor.
• Provides false, libelous, inaccurate, or defamatory information.
• Is overly repetitive or off-topic.
• Is used to incite, disrupt, threaten, degrade, shame, or harass individuals or threaten the destruction of property, or be unrelated to the purpose of the page.
• Violates any applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations, or promotes the violation of such laws.
• Infringes on copyright or intellectual property rights.
• Plagiarizes works from sources outside Clackamas County.
• Engages in political advocacy.
• Contains inappropriate sexual content or links to such content.
• Violates any County policies or code. www.clackamas.us/code; www.clackamas.us/pga
• Promotes or perpetuates, in any fashion, discrimination in any form on the basis of race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, color, age, gender identity, marital status, national origin, disability, or other protected aspects or traits.
• Compromises the safety or security of any other party.
• Violates the privacy of its subjects (in images, audio or information). This includes using Clackamas County communications to bully, harass or stalk another person.
• Involves the transmission of "junk mail", "chain letters" or unsolicited mass mailing, instant messaging, or "spamming"
• Solicits passwords or personal identifying information for commercial purposes.
• Includes a photograph, video or audio of another person without the person's permission and consent

Removal

The County reserves the right to remove, without notice, any UGC that violates these terms and conditions, Clackamas County policy or code, or the law.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The County disclaims any responsibility for any harm or liability arising out of or related to use of your UGC. Clackamas County makes no warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to warranties of merchantabiity, fitness for a particular purpose, title, security, accuracy, noninfringement, or quality in use of its social media or use of your UGC.

The County will not be held responsible or liable for any UGC on its social media, and the County does not assume responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, destruction or identity, unauthorized access, or alteration of or to its social media content.

Reporting Suspected Violations of Policy or Law

If you become aware of a misuse of County social media or violation of these Terms and Conditions of Use please contact us at pga@clackamas.us

DMCA Take-Down Notices. If you are a copyright owner or an agent and believe, in good faith, that any materials provided to the County infringe upon your copyrights, you may submit a notification pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (see 17 U.S.C 512) ("DMCA") by sending the following information in writing to the our designated copyright agent, the Clackamas County Counsel.

1. The date of your notification;
2. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
3. A description of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
4. A description of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and information sufficient to enable us to locate such work;
5. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and/or email address;
6. A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
7. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

The above information must be submitted to: pga@clackamas.us

Counter-Notices. If you believe that your User Content that has been removed from the Site is not infringing, or that you have the authorization from the copyright owner, the copyright owner's agent, or pursuant to the law, to post and use the content in your User Content, you may send a counter-notice containing the following information to our copyright agent using the contact information set forth above:

1. Your physical or electronic signature;
2. A description of the content that has been removed and the location at which the content appeared before it was removed;
3. A statement that you have a good faith belief that the content was removed as a result of mistake or a misidentification of the content; and
4. Your name, address, telephone number, and email address, a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court in Oregon and a statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of the alleged infringement.

If a counter-notice is received by our copyright agent, we may send a copy of the counter-notice to the original complaining party, informing such person that it may reinstate the removed content in ten (10) business days. Unless the copyright owner files an action seeking a court order against the content provider, member or user, the removed content may (in our sole discretion) be reinstated on the Site in ten (10) to fourteen (14) business days or more after receipt of the counter-notice.

Policy Documents:

User-Generated Content Policy (PDF)

Purpose

Clackamas County’s official social media accounts are important tools for sharing news, services, and information with our community. We welcome public engagement and encourage respectful dialogue.

Comments posted by the public on our social media pages reflect individual viewpoints and do not represent the opinions or policies of Clackamas County.

While we respect and uphold the First Amendment, our social media accounts operate as limited public forums. This means we allow a broad range of discussion but reserve the right to enforce reasonable, content-neutral restrictions to ensure the safety, relevance, and integrity of our platforms.

Definitions

• Social Media Accounts: Official  -managed platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, and others. (Please see our social media page)
• Comments: User-generated content, including text, images, emojis, GIFs, memes, links, and videos posted in response to county content.
• Users: Members of the public who view, follow, or interact with county social media accounts.

Scope & Application

• These guidelines apply to all official Clackamas County social media platforms.
• County staff responsible for managing these accounts are tasked with enforcing the guidelines.
• Social media channels are not monitored 24/7. For emergencies, always dial 911.
• Service requests or complaints requiring action should be submitted through official county service channels, not social media.
• Comments are subject to the Oregon public records law (ORS 192.311).

Expectations for Engagement

We ask community members to engage respectfully, stay on topic, and help maintain a constructive environment. Civil disagreement is welcome; harassment and abusive behavior are not.

Content Moderation & Forum Protocol

Public comments are generally welcome. However, Clackamas County reserves the right to hide or remove comments that violate these guidelines or applicable laws. Comments are never removed solely because they are critical of the County.

Examples of content that may be hidden or removed include (but are not limited to):

1. Profanity, obscenity, or sexually explicit material

   • Vulgar, offensive, or sexually suggestive language or images.
   • Material that appeals to prurient interests and lacks serious value.
   • Inappropriate humor

2. Hate speech or discrimination

   • Attacks, slurs, or disparaging language based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.

3. Threats and incitement of violence

   • Direct or indirect threats toward individuals, groups, or County staff.
   • Encouragement of illegal activity or violence.

4. Defamation, false information, or personal attacks

   • False statements intended to damage a person’s reputation.
   • Harassing, bullying, or hostile language directed at individuals or groups.
   • Deliberately misleading claims presented as fact.

5. Commercial solicitations and spam

   • Repetitive posts of the same message or link.
   • Unsolicited promotions, advertising, or fundraising not sponsored by Clackamas County.

6. Malicious or harmful content

   • Malware, phishing attempts, or harmful links.
   • Content that could compromise the security of County systems or public devices.
   • Be in violation of any applicable federal, state or local laws, or promote the violation of such.

7. Off-topic or irrelevant content

   • Posts unrelated to the subject matter of the County’s post.
   • Comments intended to derail or distract from a discussion.

8. Copyright or intellectual property violations

   • Posting materials without the permission of the owner or required attribution.

9. Private or personal information

   • Sharing of phone numbers, home addresses, financial details, medical information, or other sensitive personal data.

Public Records Transparency

All content, including hidden or deleted posts, may be archived and could be subject to disclosure under Oregon public records law (ORS 192.311).

Disclaimers

• Comments posted by members of the public do not reflect the views, positions, or policies of Clackamas County.
• We are not responsible for any personal or sensitive information disclosed voluntarily by users in public comments.
• External links shared on our accounts or in public comments are not endorsements, and Clackamas County is not responsible for the content or security of third-party sites.

No Endorsements

Following, liking, or sharing content from outside individuals, groups, or organizations does not imply Clackamas County endorsement. It is solely a communication or engagement action.

Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or appeals related to social media content or these guidelines, please contact:

Clackamas County Public & Government Affairs
PGA@clackamas.us 

Clackamas County PGA Privacy Policy

Clackamas County is committed to respecting your privacy. The purpose of this policy is to inform you what information we collect from you, how we use your information, and the choices that you have regarding our use of your information. By using any of our websites or sharing your information with us you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. 

Collecting Information About You 

We collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact Information: your first and last name, postal address, email address, and phone number;
• Other identifying information, such as social media user names;
• Demographic information: gender, age
• Audio and visual information: your videos and photos;

Categories of Use

• Marketing and Promotional Purposes: We may use your contact information, demographic information, internet or other electronic activity, geolocation data, and inferences to:
  • Run contests and promotions
  • Provide you with information about County programs and services
• Review and Content Creation Purposes: We use your contact information, and audio and visual information to enable reviews of our services and to display content that you have created and allowed us to display on our website and on social media.
• Security and Fraud Prevention: We may use your contact information, other identifying information, internet activity and browsing history, and inferences to protect the County’s social media sites and others, and to prevent fraud, theft and misconduct

Sources of Personal Information 

We collect information from the following sources:

• We collect information directly from you. We collect contact and demographic information directly from you.
• We may collect information about you from third parties. We may collect your personal information from third parties, such as social media sites and data co-ops. We use the Google Maps service on our websites and may use the Google Maps service, and other services, to collect geolocation data. The Google Maps service is governed by Google’s privacy policy located at www.google.com/policies/privacy. We may collect your identifying information from Facebook, in accordance with their terms of use and privacy policy.
• We collect information from you passively. We collect Internet or other electronic activity passively using
• tools like browser cookies. This activity is further described in the Advertising and Online Tracking section below.

Sharing Information

Unless a user consents to such distribution, Clackamas County will not sell or lease personally identifiable information to other governments, organizations, or private businesses within the limits of the law. However, both state and federal laws place special burdens on public entities, such as Clackamas County, to assure the public’s right to access public records and information. Public information (as opposed to private information) involves information about activity that is regulated. For example, in purchasing a building permit online, a person’s name is public information (because building permits are regulated by the County), but the fact that you bought it with a certain credit-card number is not (because means of purchasing is not regulated). Furthermore, public information would include correspondence with the County, including e-mails and website comments about county processes, policies, activities and other types of general correspondence. Disclosure of public records is subject to Oregon’s Public Records law.

Disclosure of Information about User

Information provided exclusively to Clackamas County by a user through the County’s social media may be subject to Oregon’s public records law and other state and federal laws governing records disclosure/confidentiality for public entities. For example, Clackamas County will, whenever possible, seek to keep personal information about a user confidential if public disclosure would lead to an unreasonable invasion of privacy, unless a third party sufficiently demonstrates that the public interest requires disclosure under particular circumstances.

Right to Know, Right to Deletion and Right to Correct 

You can request to have us tell you what personal information we have collected, used, or disclosed. You can also request that we delete your personal information. We may not delete all your personal information if one of the following exceptions applies:

• Transactional: to complete a transaction for which the personal information was collected, provide a good or service requested by you, or perform a contract we have with you;
• Security: to detect data security incidents; preserve the integrity or security of systems; or investigate, report, or prosecute those responsible for any such action;
• Error Correction: to debug or repair any errors;
• Legal: to protect against fraud, harassment, malicious or deceptive activities, or illegal activity or to comply with applicable law or a legal obligation, or exercise rights under the law, such as the right to free speech; to assist another party with any of its obligations under applicable privacy laws; or
• Internal Use: to use your personal information, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which you provided the information (i.e. to improve our services).

Protecting Children

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without consent of the parent or legal guardian. If you are a parent or legal guardian and you are aware that any of your children has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us and we will take steps to delete that information. 

You can review personal information collected from a child and refuse to permit its further use or maintenance by the County. 

Links to Third-Party Sites 

Our websites or social media may contain links to social media sites operated and maintained by third parties, over which we have no control. Privacy policies on such linked sites may be different from our website privacy policy. You access such linked sites at your own risk. You should always read the privacy policy of a linked site before disclosing any of your information on such site.

Use of County forums 

See Clackamas County’s Privacy Policy for information about the use of County forums. 

Disclaimers, Indemnity, Jurisdiction, Severability, and Closing of Agreement

See Clackamas County’s Website Privacy Policy for information on these topics. 

Policy Changes

If we decide to change our privacy policy in whole or in part, we will inform you by posting a notice on our websites, as applicable. Those changes will go into effect on the effective date posted in the notice and at the end of the revised Privacy Policy. The new policy will apply to all current and past users of our websites and will replace any prior policies that are inconsistent. Your continued use of our websites or other services constitutes your acceptance of the practices described in the revised Privacy Policy.

Contact Us 

You can contact us at pga@clackamas.us