Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Social Network by Hula
Yes you read right. I couldn’t believe it either but it’s true. There is a social networking mobile app to share information about sexually transmitted diseases. A company called Hula is turning heads by attempting to execute the concept in a way that is discrete and promotes healthiness. The STD social network is Hula… Hule, mere coincidence or awkward similarity?
Anyway, the app is available to be downloaded from the App Store on iOS devices and you can get started for free. The Hula app, which formerly went by Qpid.me, aims to make a certain conversation between prospective romantic partners “less awkward,” according to the company’s website. So it’s essentially a dating website which gives you the opportunity to check your possible love interest’s STD records, if you absolutely must know. Sounds like eHarmony’s got some serious competition.
According to Mashable:
Hula has two main functions: helping a user to get tested and then sharing the results. The app provides lists of local testing clinics and doctors. After getting tested, a user can sign up for Hula with personal information and details about the test location. The app then sends a medical records request to the person’s specified care provider and eventually uploads the results.
Hold up! What kind of privacy transcendence is this? The care provider uploads the medical records upon request?! I guess the keyword is “request” meaning that it can either be denied or approved. This is definitely something new on the scene. According to the number of locations you can find a test clinic, it must mean that the care providers see some sense in doing this. I can already envision the kind of reception this type of app would receive in Zambia- pitch forks and holy water!
Being the curious person I am, I signed up to get a feel of the application and get some cool screenshots. Sadly, there were no Zambian medical clinics listed so I couldn’t snoop on my love interest’s STD history or HIV status for that matter. By the way, it seems the app is geographically restricted because it wouldn’t pop up from the App Store search I ran. However, I managed to get in via conventional web and desktop functionality.
