Google Maps Rotten Neighbors
Rotten Neighbors, founded last July, is the U.S. twist on ““human flesh search engines.” The site singles out neighbors for offenses ranging from sanitary to violent.
Using Google Maps, Rotten Neighbors shows homes of the accused, represented by red Monopoly-style houses (for rotten) and green (for good).
Most of the postings are anonymous on Rotten Neighbors which averages several hundred thousand “hits” per day. Neighborhood ratings can be given for Noise, Safety, Appearance, Services, Traffic based on a star system that rolls up into an Overall rating.
Yes, you can find where registered sex offenders live in your neighborhood.
Co-founder Brant Walker, a 27 year–old Web site designer from San Diego, created the site after he moved into a new apartment and noticed a rotten stench coming from his neighbor’s door.
Rotten Neighbors added a “flag for removal” after people targeted as bad neighbors complained. If a post gets flagged a certain number of times, it is now removed as with Craigslist.
Rotten Neighbors gives people a window into “The Lives of Others” – allowing neighbors to turn each other in for alleged offenses. It’s just one more way the Internet acts as Big Brother.