A new photo sharing app called HoboHunt has sparked outrage after encouraging users to ‘hunt real hobos’.
The free download from U.S developer Synventus works by superimposing an arsenal of weaponry on top of camera images. It was blocked three times from Apple’s App Store before arriving on Google’s Android Market.
Attempting to explain the thought process behind his offensive creation, Joel Usher, CEO of Synventus, commented to Vice.com, “The “Hobo” part [of the title] came about as a friend of mine, who commutes through Washington DC, was constantly sending me camera phone pictures of hobos along his route, and making jokes about “hunting” them as he drove.”
As you’d expect, the Twitter backlash to HoboHunt is now in full flow with Erin Ruston described the app as ‘appalling’, while Paisley Rae questioned, ‘WTF is wrong with this app creator?’
The Android Market has a chequered history of controversial downloads with the ‘Is My Son Gay?’ app having previously been removed after sparking widespread condemnation.
With Google said to be investigating HoboHunt, we expect a similar fate will soon befall this distasteful app.
