Apple boots crime reporting app Vigilante from App Store

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  • Reply 21 of 22
    ronn said:
    What could go wrong?! Lots! This could be all the rage in Gentrified Brooklyn --

    http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/crime_safety_website_racial_profiling

    According to Porter, Nextdoor users have singled out minorities for engaging in “suspicious” activities such as walking down the sidewalk, driving down a street, making a U-turn and driving too slowly.

    http://www.dailydot.com/via/white-people-apps-racial-profiling-groupme/

    What happens when app created to help ensure personal safety perpetuate bigotry instead?

    http://valleywag.gawker.com/smiling-young-white-people-make-app-for-avoiding-black-1617775138

    Is there any way to keep white people from using computers, before this whole planet is ruined? I ask because the two enterprising white entrepreneurs above just made yet another app for avoiding non-white areas of your town—and it's really taking off!

    http://fox40.com/2016/05/12/racial-profiling-claims-lead-to-changes-for-nextdoor-app/

    To combat vague posts that refer to a person’s race but give no specific identifying details about their appearance or suspicious activity, Nextdoor administrators have put in place new posting guidelines.
    If this is based on 911 calls - and I don't understand how they have access to those calls - then it wouldn't be prone to the same issues as those apps/sites you mention or at least not to the same degree. I'm guessing people are more reluctant to call 911 to report that there's a black man on their street than to anonymously post it on an app.

    All of the other problems, well, yeah there seem to be plenty
  • Reply 22 of 22
    ronnronn Posts: 653member

    If this is based on 911 calls - and I don't understand how they have access to those calls - then it wouldn't be prone to the same issues as those apps/sites you mention or at least not to the same degree.
    You'd be surprised by the amount of people that think there's nothing wrong in calling normal activity suspicious. And some simply being malicious will make calls. And never underestimate stupidity. We have people that 911 because McDonald's got their order wrong. And they actually wait for the patrol car to come to the location.
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