Below is a cut and paste of the email sent in reply to our letter to Nextdoor.com. The Florida Action Committee (FAC) had reached out to social media site Nextdoor.com about their policy of not only excluding persons required to register as sex offenders, but prevented anyone who resides with one from joining their site.
We will afford them a couple more months before determining whether to file suit.
Gail,
Your letter to Nirav was forwarded to me. Thank you for the thoughtful message. We appreciate public minded citizens whose goals are to make our justice system more fair for everyone.
As for Nextdoor’s policies with regard to registered offenders, I wanted to give you some background on two important differences between Nextdoor and other social networks that affect these policies:
- Unlike Facebook, on Nextdoor you cannot control who sees your posts. While on Facebook you can choose who has access to what messages, on Nextdoor every member who lives in your area can see every post you make.
- Nextdoor has a real name policy (as does Facebook). However unlike Facebook (and every other social network I’m aware of), Nextdoor also requires members to verify their address and that address is shared with our members’ neighbors.
These two differences mean that Nextdoor has to be significantly more conscious of our members’ safety than other social networks.
Three additional challenges to note:
- While we understand that people end up on sex offender registries for a wide range of reasons and that not everyone on the registry is a threat to their neighbors, we work with more than 170,000 neighborhoods across the country and have no way of reliably determining which people on the registry are a potential threat and which are not.
- We have the added challenge that the success of Nextdoor in a community depends on our members feeling comfortable sharing personal information (both required information like their real names and addresses, as well as optional profile information–including the names and ages of their kids) with their neighbors. So if members decide they no longer feel safe sharing this information on Nextdoor, even if this belief is misguided, Nextdoor can no longer be successful in that community.
- Nextdoor works with with thousands of police departments and public agencies, whose willingness to work with us and to recommend Nextdoor to their constituents depends in part on our commitment to keeping our members safe. So we have to be conscious of setting policies that these partners are comfortable with. And when I asked our Agency Team the question you asked us (which partner agencies feel strongly about this policy), they responded that they wouldn’t be able to single out specific ones because they are asked about this policy in every single meeting they have with potential agency partners.
All that being said, we appreciate the points you are making and our team is going to review the policy to evaluate if there are ways that we can make changes to make our service more inclusive despite the challenges listed above.
Thank you again for your thoughtful letter.
- Gordon Strause
Nextdoor / Director of Community
After reading, and re reading Nextdoors response, one paragraph stands out. Just like the old AOL Chat, My Space, now Twitter, Facebook and Nextdoor.
They only care about success, not neighborhoods.
Here is the sentence…
“So if members decide they no longer feel safe sharing this information on Nextdoor, EVEN IF THIS BELIEF IS MISGUIDED, Nextdoor can no longer be successful in that community.”
(but isnt it Nextdoors policy to inform neighbors of the “goings on” in the community? I would think that they would ENCOURAGE the posting of “the bad people” so neighbors can keep an eye on them?)
Just my 3 1/2 cents
We just have to make sure that we know what the definition of ‘bad people’ is.
FAC,
Has Nextdoor responded back to you on your latest letter?
Are you going to start funding for a lawsuit against Nextdoor.com??
If so, where can I donate.
All I want to do with Nextdoor is be able to know if anything of importance is occurring in my neighborhood. Years ago when I managed neighborhood watch in my neighborhood in Virginia Beach we had block captains and the info was spread by word of mouth. I do not want to know my neighbor’s personal business. There’s something fishy about this “Nextdoor”.
FAC,
I am sorry to ask so many questions about Nextdoor. I was a well-respected member of my neighborhood till someone posted my poster up on the Nextdoor site.
Yes, I lost some friends/neighbors, But most were curious. Some took the time to ask me about the charges and what happened. I told them “do NOT believe me; read the depositions and YOU tell ME if I am guilty”.
Several people came over and read the “accuser” (mother) and the “alleged victim” (daughter) depositions
they all said one thing—-
the same thing—–
I was set up !
My reputation was saved by my neighbors talking to their neighbors and me, not going by some label they put on me.
So, I look forward going into “battle” with FAC, their attorneys and any other legal team to set this company straight. I will give any testimony you need.
Not just for myself, but for everyone, guilty or not, witheld or not. Probation or not.
A problem we have in today’s society is that an accusation is the same as a guilt label. Years ago when I moved into my new home I gave each of my neighbors an outline of my life and with the exception of one “biddy” who lives around the corner I have had no trouble with any of my neighbors…in fact I get along well with them…14 years. I made the decision early on that I did not want to ‘live in the shadows’.
This is the first mention of Nextdoor.com that I have seen on any platform. I’d be interested in working with whatever group/committee pursues this issue. I and my wife have both been denied membership in Nextdoor.com because of my status as an SO.
We’ve been talking about Nextdoor since April.
Two possible outcomes is they change their policy or we sue.
Nothing sounds right about this. Why is Nextdoor encouraging the “tell-all” mentality? And why are they working with agencies and police?
There is a data-mining project going on with this somehow. Additionally, by giving up all information, a person is jeopardizing their entire livelihood and the lives of every personal post. There are many types of criminals out there, and more wannabe criminals who have a bad habit of doing their own data-mining and trolling.
I think that Nextdoor, should be investigated. It’s owners, and supporters should be in that investigation. All possible records. Owners background, financial records of the company, donators, and agencies whom they use. I am very serious, something is wrong when all of this information is encouraged KNOWING that people on the registry are NOT the only problem out there with personal security.
Forget the motive of being sex-offender vigilantes for a moment. Think about why they are encouraging deep sharing of their personal lives and backing that up with a GPS-type location!
Sounds to me like they are collecting data not necessary to keep a community safe. I managed the ‘Neighborhood Watch’ program in my neighborhood in Virginia Beach and we by no means needed the kind of information that they are wanting at “Nextdoor”. I have a framed certificate on my wall from the mayor and chief of police in Virginia Beach for the way I managed the program in my neighborhood.
So…. They have a real name policy. If that’s the case, why can’t I upload a a picture of me, holding my photo ID and a current piece of mail? That would show it’s me, not someone else.
Kay T, I agree with your assessment. Nextdoor is not in business out of the goodness of their heart(s). There has to be a profit motive involved….follow the money.
I also have a letter from the company blocking me from using their app. Let me know if you would like a copy of the email. I did respond also. I can send that as well.
No need. It’s the same reply sent to everyone. We have many copies of it.
It sounds like they want their members to be able to safely and securely gossip and spread rumors about the SO next door without the inconvenience of being called on it publicly and risk having the record set straight.
A real shame, too, because we want our families to live in safe neighborhoods, too, and could go a long way to participate in making sure it stays that way.
But isn’t it more fun to gossip about whether or not mr Jones down the street is allowed to have that pumpkin out for Halloween.
Gail,
I was the first one to write to you about NextDoor over a year ago.
At that time Nextdoor stated that they “are closely working with over 500 Law Enforcement Agencies at this point AND THEY (Police) stated not to let anyone on this site that might be a “Sex offender””
When you asked, as did I, and my neighbors on Nextdoor to name just ONE Police agency that “was working with Nextdoor” — Nextdoor cut off ALL communication with FAC; in other words, they were blowing smoke out of their butt.
Another “LIE” from Nexdoor is the ability to “block anyone”. Nextdoor is operated from neighborhood to neighborhood; with neighborhoods intertwining with each other.
In other words, if you live in the “South Main neighborhood”, you can select to post just to the South main neighborhood, your own neighborhood…. Or you can post to the “area neighborhood” which is the other neighborhoods in say a 5 mile radius.
THAT IS FROM NEXTDOORS DROP DOWN PANEL OF OPTIONS !!!!!
Next is the “blocking feature” that Nextdoor has. You can block ANYONE from not only your neighborhood, but anyone from the “Community” (5 mile radius) They will not be able to see your profile and visa-versa.
Nextdoor states
” While we understand that people end up on sex offender registries for a wide range of reasons and that not everyone on the registry is a threat to their neighbors, we work with more than 170,000 neighborhoods across the country and have no way of reliably determining which people on the registry are a potential threat and which are not.”
So what Nextdoor has done is to “paint with that wide brush” to punish everyone, innocent or guilty or not. Whether you have committed a crime, or not–YOU’RE OUT !!
Again, Nextdoor has “features” that you can edit your name, DOB,(which isnt even listed publicly) You have the option of NOT listing your kids, aunts, uncles, dogs, cats; so that “excuse doesnt fly’. I have seen on Nextdoor, before I was kicked off just the address of the house in the community. The rest was not labeled.
When someone found out that I was a Sex Offender, they posted my flyer up on their site. My Private message box was full of things like “I am going to kill you; he lives 2 streets away from me; you are an abomination and should kill yourself”…….
I tried to cut,copy,& paste the messages, but Nextdoor said “it was against their policy to infringe on the copyright of other peoples freedom of speech”.
They threatened to kill me and I am violating THEIR RIGHTS???
I have lived in this neighborhood for 19+ years and never had a problem with anyone.
I know you Gail and FAC doesnt discard/delete anything. If you could, please post MY letter to FAC and Nextdoors response.
Just those 2 responses will open the eyes of many of the Liberal-Left wing that work, reside and “function” in Cali.
Tell me where I can donate if you are going to file suit.
P.S. The ONLY things I posted on Nextdoor were the people who were running over and killing baby & mother ducks, Dumpsters over flowing, Dogs crapping on the grass and the owners NOT picking it up.
I was also working with the neighbors and police and at the time of my “banishment” on 4 break-ins to houses and fire to my neighbors shed, totaling it.
Since then they have had numerous break-ins, robberies, windows shot out, an accident that totaled an Escallade, a Ford pick-up, a boat and snapped a power pole in half.
But Hell, I am the bad man. I offer nothing to the community.
I really don’t give a damn about my neighbor’s personal life or the age of their kids. My concern about neighborhood safety is whether the neighborhood has been experiencing home break-ins, car break-ins, property damage, etc. This is the type of information that all neighbors need to know…be they ex-sex offenders, drug dealers, armed car jackers, armed home invaders, etc. If they are safe enough to live in the neighborhood then they should be able to avail themselves of information that might negatively impact their homes.
” My concern about neighborhood safety is whether the neighborhood has been experiencing home break-ins, car break-ins, property damage, etc ”
I agree, and that is exactly what my own neighbors and myself talk about and look out for the most. those 3 crimes which are much more common and practically every night on the news.