Brazilian sues over women-only rating app

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An online app that allows women to rate men anonymously has caused an outcry in Brazil, leaving one man so offended that he is suing the creators.

Lulu, a women-only app, was launched a fortnight ago and has already overtaken Facebook and the instant messaging service Whatsapp as the most downloaded app in Brazil.

Using Facebook to access men's profiles, it allows women to rate them on character, appearance and sexual performance using fixed hashtags.

There were one million ratings made in the first week alone.

But Felippo de Almeida Scolari, 28, from Sao Paulo, was so unhappy with his rating that he is taking legal action. The law academic, who was sent an image of his profile by a friend, said he scored 7.7 out of 10 and had been reviewed with several unflattering comments including: "Doesn't call the next day", "Should come with a warning" and "Cheaper than bread and butter".

Scolari said: "I was disgusted because I didn't authorise my details to be used by this app. I have a girlfriend and she learnt about it because a mutual friend sent it to us. She was annoyed because she didn't like seeing this kind of thing written about me."

Scolari has filed a lawsuit with the Sao Paulo Court of Justice against Facebook and the app creators Luluvise, seeking 27,000 reals ($13,930) in damages, which he has promised to donate to a support group for children with cancer.

He said allowing anonymous and disparaging comments about a person was unconstitutional under Brazilian law. "It's a question of privacy on the internet. I want to see the app no longer allowing people to comment anonymously and Facebook no longer giving personal details to any app," he said. "I want to see the app comply with Brazilian law."

According to its website, Lulu is described as "a private network for girls to express and share their opinions openly and honestly". Men can download the app but can only view their stats or add pictures of themselves. The website also has a function for men to remove their profiles.

The company behind Lulu did not respond to inquiries yesterday. But Lulu chairman Alexandra Chong told Brazilian magazine Epoca that the app complied with Brazilian law.