Skip to main content

Nextdoor removed its 'Forward to Police' app feature after racial profiling concerns

* Nextdoor, the local social networking platform announced it was ending a feature that allowed users to share their concerns directly with local law enforcement. * The site has faced years of criticism that its close relationships with local authorities that are accessible through the app amplified unfounded concerns and racial profiling by its users. * The announcement came after Nextdor's CEO said in a blog post that the platform "exists to foster" conversations that can connect neighbors and drive change in systemic racism "in a civil, productive way."  * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Nextdoor, the online local networking platform for neighbors, announced it is ending its "Forward to Police" feature after it has long been criticized for facilitating racial profiling. The feature was introduced in 2016 to allow users to directly share their posts with local police. It was one of several crime-monitoring tools on the site that have raised concerns about the ease with which users can trigger a police response based on unexamined suspicions as described by outlets like Bloomberg's CityLab and The Atlantic. A statement posted on the company's site late Thursday said the decision came about "as part of our anti-racism work and our efforts to make Nextdoor a place where all neighbors feel welcome," and was ultimately cut because of its low engagement with users and law enforcement. "After speaking with members and public agency partners, it is clear that the Forward to Police feature does not meet the needs of our members and only a small percentage of law enforcement agencies chose to use the tool," the company's post read. Bloomberg's CityLab reported that the company is keeping other features that facilitate communication with law enforcement, including one that allows direct messages. The features are a small look at the site's extensive relationship with law enforcement agencies continues that has raised concerns with privacy experts. In recent years, the platform has attempted to confront racially charged interactions from users, even using data-centric approaches and artificial intelligence to cut down on insensitive or profiling posts, but critical reports have persisted as the neighborhood forum has faced the questions of moderation and monitoring common to social networking. The site, which was founded in 2011, not only connects neighbors but also provides a reliable link for local government, police, and fire departments to keep their ears to the ground in communities, cofounder Prakash Janakiraman previously told Business Insider. As coronavirus spread across the US and more Americans found themselves stuck at home, the site's "engagement picked up at the end of February and then skyrocketed from March," Janakiraman told Business Insider, and "usage is up 80% in most neighborhoods." Despite the climbing popularity, the most recent challenge for the platform came in the wake of protests across the US over racism and police brutality, when reports floated that community moderators were removing posts from local boards that mentioned Black Lives Matter despite the company's official statement of support for the movement. Nextdoor's CEO Sarah Friar said in a June 11 blog post that "systemic racism in our nation will not be solved overnight," but the company was addressing racism in its corporate culture and on its site by emphasizing diversity in hiring, strengthening community moderation, and drawing "a firm line against racist behavior" on its forums. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Inside London during COVID-19 lockdown
https://bit.ly/2YkopWz

Popular posts from this blog

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX.  Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck London fintech Lanistar used to raise $19 million at a $190 million valuation

* London-based fintech startup Lanistar has raised a £15 million ($19 million) funding round from Milaya Capital.  * Founded in 2019, Lanistar is building a personal financial management platform that will launch later in 2020.  * "We're expecting a huge amount of growth upon our launch and have already seen strong interest among our sign ups," Gurhan Kiziloz, founder and CEO of Lanistar, told Business Insider. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.  The coronavirus lockdown in the UK has brought the importance of managing money into sharp relief. A recent study from Money.com shows that 71% of UK households have saved cash during lockdown, and, with uncertainty about jobs and the economy looming, money management is now front of mind for many. Lanistar, a banking platform with a focus on personal finance, is one company offering tools for consumers to better manage their money. It has just raised a £15 million ($19 million) funding round from Mil...

How to send your location on Snapchat to your friends through the app's Snap Map feature

* You can send your location on Snapchat to a single friend or to several users in a group.   * To send a location on Snapchat, you'll need to visit your friendship history with a user and locate the "Send My Location" feature.  * Once you send a location on Snapchat to a friend, they can tap it and zoom in to see where you are.  * Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. Whether you want to share the location of your favorite restaurant or the address of your new apartment, you can easily send your location on Snapchat to your friends.  You can do this using the Snap Map and will even be prompted to select who you want to share you location with the first time you use the app feature. You can choose to share your location with your mutual friends, a list of friends with exceptions, or a small group of selected friends.  To send your location directly to a mutual Snapchat friend, you must visit your chat history through your friends li...