City of Eau Claire changes comment policy

After careful thought, the City of Eau Claire has decided to turn off the ability to comment on the City’s social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.). We don’t want to make this change, but comments have become increasingly abusive, profane, and threatening. The attacks have been aimed at staff and public officials, as well as residents, including crime victims, suspects, and family members. The comment sections have also been used to promote scams and identity theft.

We have studied data on the comments, and most of the extreme ones come from outside of the region, and even outside of the country. It appears some commenters are not actual people, but bots of some type.

We prioritize engagement and partnership with our community. We value hearing your feedback and exchanging thoughts on challenges we face together. However, the harm that this particular tool is currently causing has come to outweigh the benefit. We will continue to watch how technology evolves and adjust our policies as we go. We also commit to redouble efforts to find alternative ways to build community, listen to your needs and ideas, and answer questions.

We appreciate your understanding, and please contact me with any questions or concerns: [email protected], 715-839-6045. As technology and political dynamics evolve, we will continue to work together to create a safe, healthy, close-knit, and inclusive community. I welcome your advice and thoughts on how to continue to pursue these goals together.

See more in the City Manager’s Weekly Newsletter, found here: https://www.eauclairewi.gov/Home/Components/News/News/12290/90#!/