This Kind of Scary New App Allows Other People to Review You
We know plenty of people who check Yelp before they’ll step foot in a restaurant. If you’re looking for an interior designer or a contractor, there are sites like Angie’s List that help you rate and review local services. There are rating systems for everything these days, from businesses to services, even teachers. But what about for people in general? A new app is looking to fill that gap — whether we like it or not. Enter Peeple, a new reviewing site that allows others to rate you in three categories: romantically, professionally and personally. Sweating yet? Hold on, there’s more. You can’t opt out of the app. Once someone inputs you into the system, you’re there for good.
Founded by entrepreneurs and best friend Nicole McCullough and Julia Cordray, Peeple was founded in hopes that it will “allow you to really see how you show up in this world as seen through the eyes of your network.” The fact that you cannot opt out or prevent others from writing about you good or bad certainly seems like an ethical gray area at the moment, but Peeple claims to be an “online village of love and abundance for all.”
So how exactly does this work? In an attempt to keep reviews from veering into the sphere of online bullying, Peeple has some rather strict “integrity features” in place. First of all, you must be over 21 years of age to register for the site, have a legitimate Facebook account, post reviews under your real name and you must be able to verify that you indeed know the person you are reviewing with proof of their cell phone number.
Positive ratings will post immediately while negative rating get 48 hours for you to review so that you can contest any inaccuracies. If you’re not registered for the site at all, however, only positive listings will appear on your page. Hm. Seems like the benefits of not being registered outweigh the benefits of actually being a member. While only having positive reviews might sound great, Washington Post brings up an excellent point about consent: how the need for it doesn’t seem to exist on Peeple.
The app is slated for launch in late November.
What do you think of Peeple? Tell us in the comments below!
(h/t Washington Post, photo via Peeple)