Social Media Monitoring (University of Maryland Department of Public Safety)

> Mr. Nick Szuberla:
>
Thank you for your January 6 inquiry. My preliminary research indicates we do not use this type of software. However, you will receive a formal response within 30 days as provided by the Maryland Public Information Act.

Thank you,
Laura Anderson Wright
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 23, 2017, at 5:03 AM, requests@muckrock.com wrote:
>
>
> January 23, 2017
> University of Maryland Department of Public Safety
> Office of General Counsel,
> University of Maryland, College Park
> 2117 Seneca Bldg.,
> College Park, MD 20742
>
> This is a follow up to a previous request:
>
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
> I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 6, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
>
> Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
>
> ---
>
> On Jan. 6, 2017:
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
> Pursuant to Maryland's Public Information Act ("PIA"), I hereby request the following records:
>
> 1. All records regarding the purchase of, acquisition of, installation of, subscription to, payment for, or agreements concerning software designed to access information from social media services;
>
> 2. All records that contain any information about the functioning of software designed to access information from social media services that is used or has been used by your university;
>
> 3. All records regarding correspondence about or with a company that offers software designed to access information from social media services, including but not limited to all correspondence about or with the companies Brightplaent, Geofeedia, Intrado Inc, LifeRaft, Magnet Forensics, Media Sonar, Signal Corporation, and ZeroFOX;
>
> 4. All records regarding the policies that govern access to or use of software designed to access information from social media services;
>
> 5. All training materials and all records used to instruct members of your agency in the proper use of software designed to access information from social media services or of the information such software is capable of accessing;
>
> 6. All records regarding the sharing with entities outside the university of information obtained from or obtained by using software designed to access information from social media services;
>
> 7. All records referencing social media profiles, comments, posts, messages, or events accessed or retained from social media services through use of software designed to access information from social media services.
>
> The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
>
> In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
>
> Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Nick Szuberla
>
> ------
> Filed via MuckRock.com
> E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
>
> For mailed responses, please address (see note):
> MuckRock
> DEPT MR 31749
> 411A Highland Ave
> Somerville, MA 02144-2516
>
> PLEASE NOTE: This request is not filed by a MuckRock staff member, but is being sent through MuckRock by the above in order to better track, share, and manage public records requests. Also note that improperly addressed (i.e., with the requester's name rather than "MuckRock News" and the department number) requests might be returned as undeliverable.
> ------
>

Good morning:

I'd like to get additional clarification. Is there a phone number I may use to speak with you?

Thank you,
Laura Anderson Wright
Sent from my iPhone

Good morning:

As I said in my Jan 23 response, my preliminary research indicates we do
not use this type of software. In fact, I reached out to the Chief
Communications Officer on Jan 11 who indicated they do not use this
software in that unit.

However, I continued (and continue) to reach out to some smaller offices to
make sure I've done a reasonable search.

During that process, I located -- and have attached here -- a University
policy which governs social media usage. It reflects a change in state law
that came out of the 2015 legislative session. See 26-401 Education
Article, Annotated Code of Maryland. The policy pertains to social media
monitoring; thus, it appears relevant to your inquiry.

I do plan to call you later this morning to understand better what this
software does. I'm hoping this will help me determine what additional
offices, if any, with which I should connect.

Thanks for your patience.
/s/
LAW

--
Laura Anderson Wright, Esq.
Associate General Counsel
University of Maryland
Office of General Counsel
2117 Seneca Bldg.
4716 Pontiac Street
College Park, MD 20742
301-405-4945 Office-general
301-405-4938 Office-direct
301-314-9395 Fax
landerso@umd.edu