[dalbasal]

Not necessarily, but such things can be.

Say I have a FB-based profiling system that will calculate the star rating alternative. It works slightly better than uber's current rating system. Ie, it's a better measure of how much you will like the driver. It also works before the driver takes his first fare. In fact, uber's minimum star rating policy can be used as a hiring/sign-up filter.

Would you consider such a thing dehumanising? Its essentially how insurance works, and is increasingly becoming a viable business MO.

[crusso]

Reputation systems increase our ability to trust people, products, and systems in general. It seems like our logical concern should be whether or not such systems are accurate.

The flip side of all this is that betrayal of trust is also dehumanizing. When you pay to get an Uber ride and you're taken to the wrong place or ripped off, that's dehumanizing. When you loan someone money and they don't pay you back, that's dehumanizing. When you send someone a product from an E-Bay auction and their payment turned out to be a scam, that's dehumanizing.