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Can we talk about getting banned from a neighborhood app for a joke about parking? | Banned for Speaking - Discusd

Can we talk about getting banned from a neighborhood app for a joke about parking?

So this happened maybe 3 weeks ago. I live in Reno and our neighborhood uses one of those apps where people post about lost dogs and garage sales. Someone put up a post complaining that a car had been parked in front of their house for 2 days. I commented that maybe the car was just visiting and they should leave a note instead of blasting it online. Then I made a joke, said something like "unless it's a Ford, then call the tow truck." Just a dumb joke, my uncle drives a Ford and we tease him all the time. The next day I got a message that my account was suspended for "harassment of a neighbor." I tried to reply to explain it was a joke and got a message back saying the decision was final. No warning, no chance to say anything, just gone. Here is the part that stuck with me. A guy I've never met, lives like 4 streets over, sends me a DM on another app saying he saw my comment and that his wife had reported me. He said she reported 6 other people that same week for stuff like disagreeing with her about a fence. He just wanted me to know it was nothing personal. That was it. That was the whole thing. One person clicking a button and I'm locked out, and the only person who reaches out to explain is her husband.

2 comments

2 Comments

iris_rivera4420d ago

Read a story last year about a guy in Texas who got booted off his Nextdoor for saying his neighbor's lawn looked like a hay field. Turns out these apps use automated flags, so one report can trigger a suspension with no human ever looking at it. The appeal just goes back to the same system that flagged you. Your neighbor's husband basically confirmed the whole thing runs on whoever complains loudest.

ivan16020d ago

One report triggering a suspension sounds like a stretch, people get flagged for all kinds of stuff.