Source: http://calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/new-app-developed-by-calgary-company-to-rate-and-make-comments-on-people
Rating people- how’s that for a controversial topic? In these past few years, we have been able to rate everything from restaurants to professors, and now, we might just be able to start rating people. An app called Peeple is scheduled to launch this November, and it is an app where people will be able to assign reviews and one to five star ratings to everyone. Worst part is? The people getting rated cannot opt out of it.
The co-founders of the app intended for this app to be a place where users can do research on the people they interact with, and on the flip side, for people to receive feedback on themselves and use that to their advantage.
Where has the notion of privacy disappeared to? This new app completely crosses the border of respect and privacy for those around you. Any so-called private meetings and gatherings can potentially lead to people feeling self-conscious and judged, and cause distrust among our peers. As Fianca Chen mentioned in her blog, technology and social media are convenient, but having every aspect of our lives connected to the internet is just too excessive. The ethics behind this company’s platforms are questionable, because they are essentially making money off people publicly rating others based on their own biases and prejudice, and those under attack do not even have the choice of opting out.
So next time, think again before blowing off that date or showing up late to a meeting. There might just be a blurb online about that for the whole world to see.