They say there's no such thing as privacy in the Internet age, which we guess means we shouldn't be surprised to learn about the Kinsey Institute's new app.
The institute, named after pioneering sex researcher Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey, researches human sexuality, gender, and reproduction. And its app, called The Kinsey Reporter, allows you to "contribute to research on human sexual behavior," according to the iTunes description.
Yup. There's a now an app that lets you tell the world about your sex life.
The app features categories for PDA, fetishes, birth control hormone effects, and even flirting, and the institute asks users to report their encounters, ideally within 24 hours of their happening.
The institute maintains that the reports, though sorted geographically, are completely anonymous. You can't use your own words in the report, but you can submit as many as you want.
And if the sharing isn't creepy enough, you can also view other "reports" in your geographic area ... because we've always wanted to know about our neighbors' leather fetish.
Not only can you view the tags other people use (such as "fun," "casual," and "no birth control") you can also select one of their tags to view more information about that, er, subject.
On the Kinsey Reporter website, researchers liken using the app to "the role of a good journalist" and ask users to "submit what is true and accurate to the best of your ability." Since history (and the comment sections of our own blogs) has proven the public tends to act on their worst behavior under the shroud of Internet anonymity, we're confident this app could get weird. Fast.
From a scientific standpoint, the app is meant to help the Kinsey Institute gather data that would have been nearly impossible to get in the past. In particular, they hope to be able to learn more about the pervasiveness of unreported sexual violence in more isolated parts of the world and of condom usage in different cultural, political and religious contexts.
You can also view the reports and analysis from the aggregated data on the Kinsey Reporter website.
Who needs 50 Shades of Grey when you have this baby right in your pocket?
