FAQs
What is social media archiving — and other honest questions.
The questions clerks, compliance officers and counsel actually ask — answered plainly. General information, not legal advice.
The law & your records
What is social media archiving?
Social media archiving is the automatic capture and preservation of an organization’s social media activity (posts, comments, replies, reactions, edits, deletions and media) as complete records with metadata intact. Unlike backups or screenshots, an archive is built to be searched, verified and produced on demand.
Is social media a public record?
For government bodies, generally yes: content created or received in the course of official business can qualify as a public record under federal law and the public records laws of all 50 states — regardless of the platform it lives on. Content and context matter, and exemptions may apply, so agencies should confirm specifics with their records officer or counsel.
Do citizen comments on our pages count as records?
Records "received" in the course of official business are generally within scope — which can include public comments and replies on official accounts, even ones their authors later delete. That is why capture must happen in real time: by the time a request arrives, the deleted comment is otherwise gone.
What laws require social media recordkeeping?
It depends who you are. Government agencies answer to the Federal Records Act, FOIA and state public records laws. Broker-dealers and advisors answer to FINRA Notices 10-06 and 11-39 and SEC Rule 17a-4. Courts also expect authentic, complete records under the rules of evidence. Our industry pages cover each framework in plain English.
What are the risks of not archiving?
Failed or late records responses, spoliation problems in litigation, penalties and adverse findings — and the quieter cost: losing the public’s trust when your organization cannot account for its own communications. When you publish on a third-party platform, you control neither the content’s fate nor the platform’s retention. An archive puts that control back.
How Brolly works
What does Brolly capture?
Posts, comments, replies, reactions, edits, deletions, images and video on connected accounts — plus direct messages where the platform API provides them — captured in near-real time through official APIs from Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok, with raw metadata on every record and a digital checksum on every export.
How is Brolly different from screenshots or platform exports?
Screenshots miss metadata, edit history and deletions, and cannot prove they haven’t been altered. Platform exports are incomplete and outside your control. Brolly records carry timestamps, revision history and audit logs, and every export carries a digital checksum — the evidence a record needs to stand up.
What happens when content is edited or deleted?
Both events become part of the record. The original version, each captured edit and the deletion itself are preserved with timestamps — including comments deleted by members of the public.
How do exports work?
Run a search by account, keyword, author, date range, or edit/delete status, then export the results as PDF, CSV, HTML or JSON, with media files included. A complete response package assembles in minutes.
Getting started & pricing
How long does setup take?
Minutes. Connect your accounts, and capture begins immediately. No software installs, no browser extensions.
How does pricing work?
Plans are sized by one number: the records you archive each month. Every plan includes unlimited accounts, unlimited users, unlimited storage and every feature. Prices are in USD and guaranteed for 12 months. See the pricing page for tiers.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 30 days with every feature enabled, unlimited accounts, and no credit card required.
Who in our organization uses Brolly?
Records officers and clerks handle search and export; communications teams use capture, monitoring and moderation daily; counsel and compliance pull audit logs when requests or disputes arise. Role-based access keeps each to their lane.
Still have a question? Ask a person.
Book a 20-minute call — bring your records officer, your counsel, or just your curiosity.