The issue of sexual assault and the need for better prevention and resources for survivors, especially on college campuses, has gained more attention recently. While we are still a long way from fixing the problem completely, could technology hold the key to decreasing instances of sexual assault?
Good2Go is certainly going to try. This new app launched recently for download on iOS and Android devices to help people more clearly give or not give consent with the hope of preventing instances of sexual assault. It does so by opening up communication between two potential sexual partners so that each person has to give a clear-cut "Yes" before they can have sex.
The app works like so. Only one person needs to download the app on his or her phone. When one person proposes to have sex with another, the app presents three options for the answer to the questions, "Are we good2go?": "No thanks," which means no sexual encounter should take place, "Yes, but... we need to talk," which encourages people to discuss their expectations before having sex, and "I'm good2go," which means the partner gives the green light to having sex.
However, each one of these options includes another step. If partners select "No thanks," they can choose to have a link to the app sent to their smartphones, and a message also pops up to remind users that, "No means No! Only Yes means Yes, BUT can be Changed to NO at anytime!" The option "Yes, but... we need to talk" simply prompts users to talk about what they expect from this sexual encounter. Finally, if a user selects "I'm good2go," the app attempts to measure the user's sobriety level such that he or she can choose "sober," "mildly intoxicated," "intoxicated but Good2Go" and "pretty wasted." If that last option is chosen, the consent choice immediately changes to "No thanks."
Once the partner selects "I'm good2go" and is at an appropriate sobriety level to do so, he or she needs to confirm his or her identity. Users input their phone numbers and passwords if they are already Good2Go users, or they must register as a user.
Good2Go was created by married couple Lee Ann and Mike Allman, who wanted to do something about sexual consent after hearing their college-aged children and their friends talk about the issue.
"They have seen firsthand how students at their own colleges have been involved in investigations. They have come away from all of this with a lot more confusion and worry and stress about what to do," Lee Ann Allman told Reason. "So out of those discussions, and legislation that has been happening at the federal and state level, we all talked about, well, is there something we can do? In this day and age, one of the logical answers to that is, there ought to be an app for that."
The creators say the app is not a legally binding contract in the case of sexual assault accusations arising after the users have sex. Users' information and interactions are kept confidential on the app. However, Good2Go may release details of users' interactions if proper authorities, such as law enforcement or university officials, request it as part of an investigation.
Right off the bat, it seems like there are some issues with this app. What first comes to mind is will people actually take the time to download and use this app before having sex? These decisions are often made in the "heat of the moment," especially regrettable decisions, which makes me doubt that people will actually take the time to use the app before proceeding to have sex. Some people also might think the whole exchange of asking for someone's sexual consent on an app is just plain weird. In some ways, the instructional video seems like one of those parody commercials on Saturday Night Live. However, Reason makes a good point in saying that technology has completely changed the way people pursue relationships and sex, so why would it be so unusual to use an app to ask consent?
The app also counts on people telling the truth, whether that's in their answer for consent or their sobriety level. As we all know, people lie, whether they're online, on an app or in real life. The creators note that people could certainly lie when using the app, but it would be no different than lying in person. It would also be difficult for the initiator to hide the sobriety level screen from the potential partner so that he or she could falsify how incapacitated the partner is or is not.
The Good2Go app is by no means perfect, but in a time when resources for sexual assault prevention greatly need to improve, it certainly doesn't hurt to have an app like this out there at least trying to make a difference.
