Critics: 'Ugly Meter' Facial Recognition iPhone App Encourages Bullying
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 11:16AM 
A new app available for purchase on the Apple iTunes Store called the "Ugly Meter" has critics up in arms. At a time when teenage (and college-age) bullying is in the national spotlight, some say the Ugly Meter is just asking for further trouble.
Using facial recognition technology, the app measures a person's facial symmetry and other features. It then assigns each user a score ranging from 1 to 10, depending on level of attractiveness. iTunes says the app was designed for users ages and 9 up, which is where part of the problem lies.
As FoxNews.com reports:
It's "right on the borderline" of appropriate and inappropriate, said Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Washington-based Family Online Safety Institute.
"I can see that the guys who programmed it were having a bit of fun and all," Balkam said. "If you're 25, 26 or 28, this sort of thing could be quite funny or amusing. But in the hands of a 14- or 15-year-old, it could be quite the reverse, and particularly if someone is submitting someone else's photograph and then circulated that photo around school."
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