New York - Last June, Reason’s Robby Soave called for an iPhone app that would clear up pesky he-said, she-said rape cases by recording two parties’ “mutual consent” to engaging in sexual activity before they do the deed.
“Maybe they would have to input a password and then touch phones, or something?” he proposed.
Last week, his prayers were answered: The Good2Go sexual consent app isn’t as touch-and-go as the app of Soave’s dreams, but it does encourage sex partners to assess their mutual interest in sex and record their intoxication levels before getting busy.
Here’s how it works: After deciding that you would like to have sex with someone, launch the Good2Go app (free on iTunes and Google Play), hand the phone off to your potential partner, and allow him or her to navigate the process to determine if he or she is ready and willing.
“Are We Good2Go?” the first screen asks, prompting the partner to answer “No, Thanks,” “Yes, but… we need to talk,” or “I’m Good2Go.”
If the partner chooses door No 1, a black screen pops up that reads “Remember. No means no. Only yes means yes, but can be changed to no at any time”.
If the partner indicates she is “Good2Go”, she’s sent to a second screen that asks if she is sober, mildly intoxicated, intoxicated but Good2Go, or pretty wasted.
If she chooses “pretty wasted”, the app informs her she “cannot consent” and she’s instructed to return the phone to its owner (and, presumably, not have sex under any circumstances).
All other choices lead to a third screen, which asks the partner if she is an existing Good2Go user or a new one. If she’s a new user, she’s prompted to enter her phone number and a password, confirm that she is 18 years old, and press submit. (Minors are out of luck – the app is only for consenting adults.)
Then, she’ll fill in a fourth prompt, which asks her to input a six-digit code that’s just been texted to her own cellphone to verify her identity with that app.
Previous users can just type in their phone number – which serves as their Good2Go user name and password.
Once that level is complete, she returns the phone to its owner, who can view a message explaining the terms of the partner’s consent. For example, “intoxicated but Good2Go.”
Then, the instigator presses a button marked “okay”, which reminds him again that yes can be changed to no at any time.
Then you get to have sex.
Easy, right? When I tried this process with a partner, it took us four minutes to navigate, mostly because he kept asking “why are we using an app for this?” and “why do I have to give them my phone number?”
I was confused, too: As the instigator, I wasn’t asked to confirm that I wanted to have sex or to state my own intoxication level for my partner’s consideration. A promotional video modelling the process begins by announcing how simple it is, then snaps out instructions for three minutes, but questions remain.
Perhaps the process is deliberately time-consuming: The app provides the “opportunity for two people to pause and reflect on what they really want to do, rather than entering an encounter that might lead to something one or both will later regret”, the app’s FAQ reads. Or maybe I’m just old: at 29, I find it much easier to just talk about sex than to use an app for that.
Lee Ann Allman, a creator of the app, says she was inspired to make it after talking to her college-aged youngsters about sexual assault on campuses across the country.
They “are very aware of what’s happening, and worried about it, but confused about what to do. They don’t know how they should approach somebody they’re interested in,” she said.
Allman believes that with the youth so used to technological aids, the app will help bring about conversations, encourage them to consider their level of intoxication, and remind them consent to sex should be clear.
Good2Go is obviously a euphemism for sexual activity, but it’s not clear what that means – oral, vaginal, anal, with protection or not? You could always pause, grab phones and start the process over to consent to a specific activity, but at some point you’d have to verbally explain what you’re agreeing to.
Good2Go could contribute a dangerous new element to those he-said, she-said rape cases. What Good2Go doesn’t tell users is that it keeps a private record of every agreement logged in its system, tied to both users’ personal phone numbers and Good2Go accounts.
Records of interactions where users say no or just want to talk are not logged.
Allman says that regular users aren’t allowed access to those records, but a government official with a subpoena could.
“It wouldn’t be released except under legal circumstances,” said Allman. “But it does create a data point that there was an occasion where one party asked the other for consent, which could be useful in the future.
“There are cases, of course, where the accused is an innocent party; in such a case, it could be beneficial to him.”
But that record is unlikely to aid a real victim. There are still judges and juries that will take evidence that a person said yes to sex at one point and conclude that they were asking for whatever happened. – Slate