This anti-social app will help you avoid your 'friends'

Sure, there are plenty of social networking apps out there. Then there is Cloak, which seeks to conquer the anti-social networking market.

Cloak connects to other social networking apps, including Foursquare and Instagram, to locate people you may want to avoid, whether it's your ex or just that annoying guy from your office. When someone unsavory is in your vicinity, Cloak will send you a notification. That way, you can avoid running into anyone with whom you don't want to make awkward small talk.

Brian Moore and Chris Baker, the former creative director of BuzzFeed, are the masterminds behind the app, and they're excited to pave the way for anti-social pioneers. "Anti-social stuff is on the rise," Baker told The Washington Post. "We've seen the crest of the big social network." Baker is really taking the anti-social message to heart — he's also working on a website, Hate with Friends, that determines "if you and a Facebook friend mutually hate each other."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Cloak is currently available for free on the iTunes App Store, so your trips to the grocery store just got a lot less stress-inducing.