Ever wondered how your friends and colleagues would rate you on a scale of 1 to 5? Well, you're about to find out. A new app, Peeple, will let everyone from your ex-boyfriend to your second cousin assign you a one- to five-star review — like Yelp, but for humans.
Not surprisingly, the app has already generated a lot of buzz online, and not the good kind. Chrissy Teigen, for one, put the app and its creators on blast via Twitter on Thursday, Oct. 1, slamming the idea as "horrible AND scary."
In an age where both truth and gossip on the Internet can literally ruin lives, this #peeple app is horrible AND scary #yelpforhumans???
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 1, 2015
This is a real app. It needs not to be. #peeple pic.twitter.com/QpeDnwhujp
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 1, 2015
at least I signed up to have the world judge and grade me publicly. I fucking hate this app and the boardroom table it was created around.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 1, 2015
We have to make sure our kids/teens stand a freaking chance in this world.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 1, 2015
INSANITY. https://t.co/vri3pRW0fs
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 1, 2015
The app is due to launch in late November, according to the Washington Post, and you can't opt out — people can rate you even if you haven't signed up. According to the site's FAQ section, anyone who has your phone number can start a profile for you. You'll then be notified via text that the person has added you.
If you haven't registered yourself, only the positive reviews you receive will appear on your profile. If you have registered, negative reviews will be posted after a 48-hour waiting period, during which time you can dispute the rating. (But once it's up, it's up.)
Many people, like supermodel Teigen, have slammed the app, calling it "evil" and "disgusting." Co-founders Julia Cordray and Nicole McCullough, however, insist that they have nothing but good intentions.
"As two empathetic, female entrepreneurs in the tech space, we want to spread love and positivity," Cordray told the Washington Post. "We want to operate with thoughtfulness."
In response to one article about the app, the two said that "bullying would never be tolerated…and would violate [the site's] terms and conditions," which would lead to the offending party being removed from the app.
"This is a positivity app, and we do not mean any harm," Cordray said in an interview with Newsweek. "This isn't about that."
Rather, she said, it's about "uplifting" people. "We all deserve to know who the best of the best are," she said, noting that there are "integrity features" to keep users accountable. "There's a lot of misunderstandings of the way the app actually works."
