Call it the iTaunt.
Critics of the new iPhone "Ugly Meter" app fear it's all too easy for users to harass their victims, especially when those victims are image-conscious teenagers, according to Switched.com.
The 99-cent app analyzes how symmetrical a person's face is by using facial recognition. It scans and rates faces as they are submitted by the user, generating a ranking on a scale of 1 to 10.
A "1" means the person is "not ugly,"while a "10" comes with a message that says, "You're so ugly, when you walk by the bathroom, the toilet flushes."
The News tested the app on male and female members of the staff. The results often varied depending on the angle of the photo or how well the subject's face matched up with facial recognition software.
One male News staffer's photo elicited a high score on the ugly scale along with the comment that his face appeared to have put in the dryer with rocks. Yet, another photo of the same staffer scored a lower, more pleasing score and the comment, "I am blinded by your beauty".
Most staffers received less than glowing messages from the app, including "You're so ugly a farmer could use you as a scarecrow"and "your face could turn milk into yogurt just by looking at it."
While adults can see the silly side of the app, there are concerns over the Ugly Meter's potential to make young people feel bad about their appearance and give bullies new ammo.
One in six kids are regularly bullied, according to a recent study conducted by Clemson University, per MSNBC. Of those bullied, nearly 40 percent of the girls and 45 percent of boys say the abuse has gone on for over a year.
"There's a fine line between teasing and razzing one another,"Dr. Gwen O'Keeffe, who wrote "Cybersafe: Protecting and Empowering Kids in the Digital World of Texting, Gaming and Social Media,"told Fox News. "And this is just hurtful. It could have crushing blows on kids with low self esteem. There's just nothing good that could come from an app like this.”
She'd like to see the app either taken off the market (it's on the iTunes store) or make it only available to adults. So far, Apple hasn't issued any comment. But Eugene Overline, app programmer, doesn't see the "Ugly Meter"going away anytime soon.
"All of our insults are PG-rated,"Overline said, according to Switched.com. "We kept it pretty clean on purpose."
Comments on the "Ugly Meter"are varied on the official iTunes website. One user wrote, "I was suffering from extreme depression due to my looks. This app has given me a new outlook on life. I'm now dating a model and making millions due to my new found confidence. Thanks for changing my life ugly meter!"
Another person called the description of the Ugly Meter "cheating"and added, "It sounded like a serious app. However the joke is on you if you buy it!"
A third user left a comment that he wanted his 99 cents back.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/10/20/2010-10-20_ugly_meter_iphone_app_may_be_hurtful_to_kids_and_fodder_for_bullies.html#ixzz12vODkSip
Critics of the new iPhone "Ugly Meter" app fear it's all too easy for users to harass their victims, especially when those victims are image-conscious teenagers, according to Switched.com.
The 99-cent app analyzes how symmetrical a person's face is by using facial recognition. It scans and rates faces as they are submitted by the user, generating a ranking on a scale of 1 to 10.
A "1" means the person is "not ugly,"while a "10" comes with a message that says, "You're so ugly, when you walk by the bathroom, the toilet flushes."
The News tested the app on male and female members of the staff. The results often varied depending on the angle of the photo or how well the subject's face matched up with facial recognition software.
One male News staffer's photo elicited a high score on the ugly scale along with the comment that his face appeared to have put in the dryer with rocks. Yet, another photo of the same staffer scored a lower, more pleasing score and the comment, "I am blinded by your beauty".
Most staffers received less than glowing messages from the app, including "You're so ugly a farmer could use you as a scarecrow"and "your face could turn milk into yogurt just by looking at it."
While adults can see the silly side of the app, there are concerns over the Ugly Meter's potential to make young people feel bad about their appearance and give bullies new ammo.
One in six kids are regularly bullied, according to a recent study conducted by Clemson University, per MSNBC. Of those bullied, nearly 40 percent of the girls and 45 percent of boys say the abuse has gone on for over a year.
"There's a fine line between teasing and razzing one another,"Dr. Gwen O'Keeffe, who wrote "Cybersafe: Protecting and Empowering Kids in the Digital World of Texting, Gaming and Social Media,"told Fox News. "And this is just hurtful. It could have crushing blows on kids with low self esteem. There's just nothing good that could come from an app like this.”
She'd like to see the app either taken off the market (it's on the iTunes store) or make it only available to adults. So far, Apple hasn't issued any comment. But Eugene Overline, app programmer, doesn't see the "Ugly Meter"going away anytime soon.
"All of our insults are PG-rated,"Overline said, according to Switched.com. "We kept it pretty clean on purpose."
Comments on the "Ugly Meter"are varied on the official iTunes website. One user wrote, "I was suffering from extreme depression due to my looks. This app has given me a new outlook on life. I'm now dating a model and making millions due to my new found confidence. Thanks for changing my life ugly meter!"
Another person called the description of the Ugly Meter "cheating"and added, "It sounded like a serious app. However the joke is on you if you buy it!"
A third user left a comment that he wanted his 99 cents back.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/10/20/2010-10-20_ugly_meter_iphone_app_may_be_hurtful_to_kids_and_fodder_for_bullies.html#ixzz12vODkSip
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