House Lacks Online Archiving Rules
Members of the House or Representatives are under no obligation to keep records of their actions online. This would include the e-mail correspondences and comments that could take place on social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace. "There is no member archiving requirement. The committee passed a resolution encouraging member offices to explore archiving opportunities last session," Kyle Anderson, spokesman for the House Administration Committee, said in a statement.
Anderson did note, however, that "many member offices do maintain archives" anyway. New rules adopted by the committee in October allow members to maintain Web sites in addition to their official House.gov site and post material on third-party Web sites so long as it complies with federal law and House rules and regulations applicable to official communications. He said the initial discussion to update the rules focused on posting video within House domains but regulations that passed do not specifically indicate video. "The new rules can be interpreted as allowing for Members to have Facebook and MySpace presence," he said.
Members of Congress have started to use their own YouTube channels and post videos directly from their Washington offices. Google announced Monday that it was launching a Senate Hub and House Hub. -- Winter Casey
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