Social Media Guidelines

Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences Social Media Policy (For External Users)

BY INTERACTING WITH OR USING ANY WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES SOCIAL WEB PROPERTY, YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS OF USE. Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and the Weill Cornell Physician Organization (hereinafter collectively “WCMC”) operates institutional accounts on social media sites for distributing content (including text, images and/or videos) about WCMC, and/or to provide a communication channel by which you may contact WCMC. WCMC also operates institutional web sites that may include user-generated content, including, but not limited to, various blogs, bulletin boards, networks, and multi-media and news media sites. By accessing, viewing and/or posting any content, directly or indirectly (collectively “interacting”), via any WCMC institutional social media account or institutional web site involving user-generated content (collectively “WCMC Social Web Properties”), you accept, without limitation or qualification, the following terms of use. If you do not agree to the terms of this Policy, please do not further view or post any content to any Social Media Site on the Internet. Your further or continued use of any WCMC Social Web Property shall be deemed your acceptance of this Policy and has the same effect as if you had physically signed a document agreeing to the terms of this Policy.

1. If you are WCMC faculty, staff or student, you must adhere to the “WCMC Social Media Policy (For Internal Users)” posted on the WCMC Intranet.

2. You must be at least eighteen (18) years of age to interact with any WCMC Social Web Property.

3. You are prohibited from posting any content that is personal health information (including, but not limited to, patient data or images) on any WCMC Social Web Property. You are also prohibited from using any WCMC Social Web Property to provide medical advice or medical commentary by non-WCMC physicians, or to use any WCMC Social Web Property to make, recommend or increase referrals to physicians who are not affiliated with WCMC.

4. By interacting with any WCMC Social Web Property, you agree that you will not: (i) violate any local, state, federal or international laws or regulations, including, but not limited to, copyright and intellectual property rights laws regarding any content that you send or receive via this Policy; (ii) transmit any material (by uploading, posting, emailing or otherwise) that is unlawful, disruptive, threatening, profane, abusive, harassing, embarrassing, tortious, defamatory, obscene, libelous, an invasion of another person’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, as solely determined in WCMC’s discretion; (iii) impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (iv) transmit any material (by uploading, posting, emailing or otherwise) that you do not have a right to make available under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships; (v) transmit any material (by uploading, posting, emailing or otherwise) that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary right of any party; (vi) transmit (by uploading, posting, emailing or otherwise) any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising (including, but not limited to, advertising of non-WCMC services or products), promotional materials, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes” or any other form of solicitation; (vii) transmit any material (by uploading, posting, emailing or otherwise) that contains software viruses, worms, disabling code, or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software, hardware or telecommunications equipment; (viii) harass another person; (ix) collect or store, or attempt to collect or store, personal data about third parties, without their knowledge or consent; or (x) share confidential pricing information of any party.

5. WCMC reserves the right to monitor, prohibit, restrict, block, suspend, terminate, delete or discontinue your access to any WCMC Social Web Property, at any time, without notice and for any reason and in its sole discretion. WCMC may remove, delete, block, filter or restrict by any other means any materials, in WCMC’s sole discretion. You understand and agree that WCMC may disclose your communications and activities on WCMC Social Web Property, in response to lawful requests by governmental authorities (including, but not limited to, DMCA requests, judicial orders, warrants or subpoenas), for the protection of WCMC’s rights, or for any other reason in WCMC’s sole discretion. You agree that, in the event that WCMC exercises any of its rights hereunder for any reason, WCMC will have no liability to you.

6. By posting any content on any WCMC Social Web Property, you grant to WCMC the irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, publish or display such content, and the right to create derivative works from your content, edit or modify such content, and use such content for any purpose.

7. You hereby agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless WCMC, its corporate and academic affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, successors and assigns, from and against, and shall promptly reimburse them for, any and all losses, claims, damages, settlements, costs and liabilities, of any nature whatsoever (including reasonable attorneys' fees), to which any of them may become subject, arising out of, based upon, as a result of, or in any way connected with, your posting of any content to a WCMC Social Web Property, any third party claims of infringement, or any breach of this Policy.

8. YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY RELATED TO THE SECURITY, PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY RISKS INHERENT IN SENDING ANY CONTENT OVER THE INTERNET. By its very nature, a website and the Internet cannot be absolutely protected against intentional or malicious intrusion attempts. WCMC does not control the third party sites or the Internet over which you may choose to send confidential, personal or health information or other content and, therefore, WCMC does not warrant any safeguard against any such interceptions or compromises of your information. When posting any content on an Internet site, you should think carefully about your own privacy in disclosing detailed or private information about yourself and your family. Furthermore, WCMC DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY PRODUCT, SERVICE, VIEW OR CONTENT DISPLAYED ON ANY WCMC SOCIAL MEDIA PROPERTY.

9. You agree that any claim or dispute relating to your posting of any content on a WCMC Social Web Property shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions, and you agree to be bound and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the local, state or federal courts located in New York County, New York.

10. You may not provide any content to a WCMC Social Web Property that contains any product or service endorsements, or any content that may be construed as political lobbying, solicitations or contributions, or use a WCMC Social Web Property to link to any sites of political candidates or parties, or use a WCMC Social Web Property to discuss political campaigns or issues, or use a WCMC Social Web Property for taking a position on any legislation or law.

11. THIS POLICY MAY BE UPDATED AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND EACH TIME A USER ACCESSES A SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE, THE NEWEST VERSION OF THIS POLICY WILL GOVERN USAGE, EFFECTIVE UPON POSTING. To remain in compliance, WCMC suggests that you review this Policy, as well as the other WCMC website policies, at regular intervals. By continuing to view, post any content or, otherwise, use any WCMC Social Web Property after such new terms are posted, you are deemed to accept and agree to any and all such modifications to this Policy.


Weill Cornell Medicine
Office of External Affairs
Phone: (646) 962-9476