NextDoor App Is A Major Purveyor Of COVID-19 Misinformation In South Palm Beach County. Company Now Monitoring After Our Questions.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
UPDATED 8:04 p.m. August 2nd, 2021: See response from NextDoor at end of story.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — If you are looking for a major purveyor of COVID-19 misinformation in Palm Beach County, look no further than the app that seems to be adored by senior citizens and those not really into Facebook.
NextDoor App, a social media network that promotes a good neighborly vibe, is now home to some of the most blatant misinformation and arguably crazy opinions that you’ll find in South Palm Beach County.
We researched posts made by members in the western part of south Palm Beach County and found a number of people still posting about COVID being fake, vaccines containing microchips, a lack of need to help others, and that Governor Ron DeSantis is Jesus-like in his approach to the world. While everyone is, of course, entitled to their own opinions, it starts to get dangerous when those opinions are posted as fact.
We reached out to NextDoor’s media relations team to ask what the company is doing to monitor misinformation on its site. (We received a response after this article first appeared. Read it, below). We are publishing a lengthy PDF full of posts from NextDoor app — you can judge for yourself whether fact or fiction wins the day.
As Florida continues to post record COVID-19 infection numbers and the death count continues to rise, we remind our readers that there is no official dispute: the COVID-19 vaccine is exceptionally effective in preventing hospitalization or death from COVID-19.
And getting it helps prevent the spread so you don’t infect others. If you care about that sort of thing.
RESPONSE FROM A NEXTDOOR SPOKESPERSON:
”We have a strict policy against misinformation and take active measures to reduce the spread of misinformation. Neighbors are encouraged to report any content that violates these policies — all reports of misinformation are sent directly to and handled by our trained Neighborhood Operations team. You can learn more about how moderation works on Nextdoor on our blog.
Specifically related to COVID-19, we prohibit false or misleading claims and conspiracy theories about COVID-19, including its causes, cures, and prevention methods, or statements about vaccines that could prevent or discourage people from receiving vaccines. We have taken many steps to help neighbors identify accurate information about COVID-19 and vaccines including search results pop-ups, posting facts reminders, and proactive promotions that direct to trusted sources from public health officials. Additionally, we have added labels to certain posts related to COVID-19 that direct to the CDC for trusted information. You can learn more here, or contact Nextdoor support at nextdoor.com/support.”
If the PDF below does not appear, access it here.
