Groundwater Authority approves Facebook page with comments off if possible

The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority voted to allow the authority to establish a Facebook account that would not permit public comments on posts if that configuration is available; if the platform does not permit comments to be disabled globally, the board authorized posting with comments turned off on individual posts when possible and to proceed in the interim. Director John Vallejo made the motion and it was seconded; the motion carried on a unanimous recorded vote.

Board members debated the merits and risks of social media for several hours. Director Vallejo said the authority should avoid “the potential for misinformation, and disinformation” and proposed a one-way information page that directs readers to a specific point of contact for technical…