Controversial People-Rating App 'Peeple' Makes Debut

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – An app that has been dubbed as a "Yelp for people" made its official launch Monday, months after the idea sparked controversy online.

The app, called "Peeple," allows users to rate others in three categories: professional, personal and dating.

Long before Monday's debut, the app sparked criticism that it could lead to cyberbullying. The negative attention led to a backlash against the app's Calgary-based creators and even caused their website to crash.

"I think the people who are most motivated to write a rating about you is someone who doesn't like you, and that can be trouble," CNET senior editor Bridget Carey told KPIX 5 in a story last October.

According to the company's website, anonymous reviews are not allowed and reviews about a person, positive or negative, are not publicly posted without that person's permission.

But the Calgary Herald reported that Peeple plans to launch a paid feature called "Truth License," where subscribers can see all reviews, including those that are hidden.

"If a mom wants to look up a coach for her kids, she can see all the amazing things on that person's profile, but maybe there's some areas of improvement for that person," Peeple co-creator Julia Cordray told the newspaper.

"So when the mom upgrades to the truth license, she'll be able to see all the recommendations on the back-end that the coach never published on their profile."

Users must be over 21, have a Facebook profile that has been active for more than six months, and a cellphone number. Currently, Peeple is only available as an iOS app, but an Android app is in the works.

Tim Fang is a digital producer for CBS San Francisco and a native of the Bay Area. Follow him on Twitter @fangtj.