Alan Butler Executive Director and President | Official website
Forbes recently reported on the controversy surrounding an AI app named Calmara, which claims to detect sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from photos of genitals, labeling it as a privacy 'disaster'. The app's launch has sparked a wave of criticism, particularly focusing on issues of consent, data privacy, and the risk of child sexual abuse material being stored on its servers.
Sara Geoghegan, a counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, emphasized concerns about the app's approach, stating, "I don’t think a solution is taking photos of someone else’s genitals and sharing them with an app that’s not even a medical provider and isn’t subject to the same standards a doctor’s office would be." Geoghegan further highlighted the problematic nature of consent within Calmara, pointing out that "the person who the app is for is not the one whose genital images are being shared, so the actual subject of this invasive practice is not the one whose consent is sought after."
The scrutiny surrounding Calmara has led to doubts about the credibility of the app and compelled its creators to backtrack on certain aspects of their product. The concerns raised by privacy advocates and experts underscore the importance of upholding ethical standards and ensuring user consent in the development and deployment of technological solutions, especially in sensitive areas such as healthcare and personal data.
