New App Creates Legal Contracts for Consensual Sex

Most of us have been there. The night is going well with that special temporary someone you met at the bar or on the app. But you’re not quite sure how to read the signs, and what seems like a one night stand to one of you turns out to be a frightening experience for the other.

Because some people are trying it: Even if I am naked in some guy’s bedroom saying nothing at all, he has no right to touch me. Women do not exist in a state of consent until proven otherwise. Our bodies are our own and you can only touch them with permission. Period. #Metoo

— Jaclyn Friedman❄️ (@jaclynf) January 16, 2018

Regardless of which side you’ve found yourself on in this scenario, the murky waters of our society’s rape culture make consent a more complicated concept than it should be. Although many victims of sexual assault have found the empowerment to speak up about their experiences in previous months, many aspects of the system still favor the accused.

A new app aims to clear up those boundaries for anyone who might be confused. LegalFling makes gaining consent as simple as sending a wink or swiping right. It offers users legally binding agreements to engage in sexual activities.

While you can send or accept a request for consent, you can also immediately withdraw consent with the touch of a button. Not just for one night stands, users can also set durations for their consent from a couple hours to however long they expect their long-term relationship to be. You can also define specifics of your consent, including BDSM and explicit language. Breaches of contract include sharing sex tapes or not disclosing STDs.

That app LegalFling just sounds like an episode of Black Mirror in the making

— drumming stan (@StayxDad) January 16, 2018

If it sounds like something out of a Black Mirror episode, it is. A similar technology was used in the recent Season 4 episode, “Hang the DJ.” What better way to combat rape culture in our dystopian tech-centric future?

During an era when apps make getting lucky as easy as getting takeout delivered, it seems to make sense that something as prudent as consent be in the palm of our hands. It’s only unfortunate that our society’s culture of rampant sexual assault has made this innovation necessary. And although the convenience of an app offering legally binding consent seems appealing, there’s definitely room for skepticism over who the app actually protects.

LegalFling is pending approval from Apple and Google. Find more info atLegalFling.io.