Chrissy Teigen has never been afraid to speak up against things that bother her and she proved that again this week, when she launched a Twitter tirade against a horrible new app, Peeple. The soon-to-be-released app, which is disturbingly described as “Yelp for humans,” allows users to rate people in the same manner they would review a restaurant. Needless to say, the app is getting tons of backlash from the Twitterverse — and Teigen is leading the pack.
“In an age where both truth and gossip on the Internet can literally ruin lives, this #peeple app is horrible AND scary #yelpforhumans??” she wrote of Peeple, later also adding, “This is a real app. It needs not to be.”
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Her reaction only intensified when she realized that Peeple allows users to create a profile for anyone — even those who don’t have the app — as long as they have the person’s cell phone number. As a model and celebrity, Teigen acknowledges that she knowingly “signed up to have the world judge and grade” her publicly. But as she points out, this app doesn’t give people that same chance to decide for themselves.
While unwilling subjects can contest any negative comments made about them on the app (within 48 hours, that is), they aren’t actually allowed to remove or delete their profiles.
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That could be particularly harmful for younger kids, who are at a vulnerable age and already have to deal with enough without the added possibility of being thrown into what will essentially be an open forum for bullying. “We have to make sure our kids/teens stand a freaking chance in this world,” Teigen wrote.
https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/649566742599987200
https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/649571484201947136
For their part, Peeple creators Nicole McCullough and Julia Cordray have defended the app, claiming there are certain safeguards in place to prevent bullying and abuse — like an age minimum of 21 and complete transparency when it comes to identity (aka you have to use your real name and have an already-established Facebook account). Still, as we all know all too well, it’s not hard for tech-savvy teenagers to find a way around those kinds of policies these days. Not to mention, while being 21 and over might make you more mature, it’s not like it makes you completely immune to haters. Why create an app that gives anyone a chance to hurt other people, regardless of their age?
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That’s why it’s so important that Teigen took it upon herself to take a stand against Peeple. As a public figure, her comments will reach a lot more people and possibly have more of an impact. In fact, her statements are already getting a lot of support, with many of her Twitter followers chiming in to say they agree with her stance. Hopefully, other celebrities and social media users will follow her lead and continue to speak out against this degrading and potentially harmful app.
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