What is social media archiving and other common questions

The best way to archive all your social media is to invest in a secure, compliant archiving service. The service should provide 24/7 access to your records and the ability to export records. You can also archive your social media posts using Facebook, Instagram or Twitter archive features, but these channels provide a one-off, non-integrated archive that does not allow you to tag, add explanatory notes and export in multiple formats. 

In the United States, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) defines social media records as public records when used for official business purposes. Federal and state recordkeeping laws align with this definition, similar to regulations in Europe and other jurisdictions. If your organization engages with customers and communities on social media platforms like Facebook, X/ Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube, you are creating digital records that may be subject to federal and state regulations, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and legal proceedings such as court cases and government inquiries.

A social media archiving solution like Brolly ensures your digital records are captured and preserved in compliance with these legal requirements, offering transparency and accountability.

Social media archiving is the creation of a secure, accessible record of your organisation’s social media record that complies with recordkeeping legislation.  Social media archiving can sometimes be done within the social media channel, but this is not always a compliant approach. Considerations when archiving social media include whether you are capturing the context of each record, along with its metadata, links and media. 

A social media archive is a complete, compliant, secure record of your interactions with customers and community on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. It’s a good idea to use a purpose-built social media archiving tool to create your social media archive as this will ensure your records are captured with context, metadata and media, keeping them compliant with recordkeeping legislation and able to be uploaded into your electronic records and document management system (eRDMS)

Not everything posted on social media is public record. Check your state recordkeeping agency for details that relate to your organisation. As a general rule, state and federal legislation requires that organisations create and maintain a compliant archive of any communication that relates to service delivery, public consultation, formal advice or guidance, or starts an internal process, such as a request for information or complaint.

More and more organisations are using social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn as communication tools. This increase in usage comes with an increase in risk. Here are our 3 top risks to consider if your organisation is using social media to communicate with your customers, constituents or community.

1. When your organisation publishes content on a third party platform, you cannot control what happens to that content.  It can be deleted or removed by the platform’s owner (e.g. Facebook)
2. Public content such as posts and comments can be edited or deleted and that can remove your ability to access the content. 
3. If you’re publishing to a social media platform, public comments and other actions can impact your brand and commercial reputation. 

The best way to manage these risks is with a purpose-built social media archiving tool like Brolly.

In the U.S., several federal laws regulate social media archiving. Key regulations include the Federal Records Act (44 USC 31), which mandates record preservation, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for public access. The Federal Rules of Evidence set standards for maintaining digital records’ integrity in legal cases, while the Privacy Act of 1974 governs personal data handling.

State laws may have additional requirements, so it’s important to check with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or your state’s public records office for specific guidelines.

In the United States, archiving social media records is crucial for government organizations and regulated sectors such as education, healthcare, and financial services. Federal regulations like the Federal Records Act and state-level laws require the preservation of digital records for compliance and public accountability. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) also mandates that agencies maintain accessible records for public requests.

Beyond compliance, archiving protects valuable data from risks such as platform outages or content removal by social media companies like Facebook, X/ Twitter, or Instagram. By maintaining a secure and compliant archive, organizations can safeguard their digital communications for purposes ranging from internal reporting to legal evidence or responding to FOIA requests.

When you archive your social media data, you’re making a secure, authenticated, contextually complete copy of the records at a given point in time. Social media records can change from minute to minute with an edit, a new comment, a deletion, a change of image or any number of updates. The archive provides a secure, reliable record of these ever-changing digital-born records and interactions.