The new sexual consent app Good2Go has been gaining popularity at a rapid speed, but UF students and staff are skeptical.
The free app allows users to create accounts with a phone number and password. It then sends a text to the person’s phone. When the person confirms the text, they’re asked whether or not they’re “Good2Go” for sex.
Users are then reminded that “yes” can be changed to “no” at any time.
Rita Lawrence, the GatorWell interpersonal violence prevention coordinator, said there are many problems with the app, but the main issue is that it replaces spoken communication.
She said students should have “face-to-face, in the moment, ongoing, respectful, honest, sober communication.”
People should constantly be acknowledging their partner’s comfort levels, Lawrence said.
She said another problem with the app is that it could potentially be used in court for a sexual assault case.
Stacy Scott, public defender for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, including Alachua County, said the app would be like any other technology-related evidence in court.
It would be similar to how they treat Facebook posts in court, she said.
The court would establish what the person said and get proof, like a phone number, and leave it to the jury to determine whether the evidence is authentic or not.
“If she changes her mind, the jury can hear that, too,” she said.
Julissa Nunez, the program assistant for UF materials science and engineering, said she thought the app was a good idea but that no one would use it.
“If you were ‘good to go,’ I don’t think people in the moment would use it,” the 26-year-old said.
Though the creator of the app, Lee Ann Allman, compared using the app to putting on a condom on her website, Nunez said she disagreed.
Alex Bottone, a UF criminology senior, said he would use the app and thinks it’s still beneficial despite its setbacks.
“I’d definitely use it,” Bottone, 21, said. “Any kind of step in that direction is a good one.”
“Now whether that’s to be developed, there are still going to be people who abuse it, who don’t use it honestly, but it’s at least a step,” he added. “It’s a statement, and it’s a step in the right direction.”
Rather than using the app, Lawrence suggested students that should look at GatorWell’s online resources or attend a presentation on consent.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 10/3/2014]
