Does The Rover App’s Design Creates Inherent Problems

The Rover app is a little risky because what it does is allow somebody who could be a predator to flip through dog walkers on their phone—one after another—until they find somebody they think is attractive, and then they select that person to be their pet sitter, dog walker, whatever, and the person comes to their home.

Now, the person is potentially vulnerable, especially if they don’t see it coming. These situations extend from dog walking to sleepovers in the home with the pets. And I guess if you’re a true predator, that provides a sort of good opportunity for you.

This is something that’s newer, and I think that Rover really needs to consider a more intelligent design for the platform. I don’t think that Rover intended to help predators find victims, but it’s possible that, through their design, their algorithm, and the way the product works, they may unwittingly be assisting and facilitating sexual abuse and sexual assault.

If, God forbid, you’ve been assaulted by somebody who was using the Rover app, I think you should reach out to Helping Survivors. And if they believe that you have a case, they’ll put you in touch with Meirowitz & Wasserberg and we’ll do a full, free, confidential evaluation of your case.