The app that promised to ‘use AI to weed out daters with STI’ has been shut down
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
HeHealth’s AI-powered Calmara app claimed, “Our innovative AI technology offers rapid, confidential, and scientifically validated sexual health screening, giving you peace of mind before diving into intimate encounters,” but now it’s shut down after an inquiry by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The app prompted daters to submit dick pics to check for sexually transmitted infections, promising “clear, science-backed answers about your partner’s sexual health status,” according to an FTC letter dated July 11th. The letter lays out some of the agency’s concerns with the information HeHealth relied on for its claims, including one saying that it could detect more than 10 sexually transmitted infections with up to 94 percent accuracy.
Screenshot: Calmara (YouTube)
The FTC notes that HeHealth paid several study authors, that the main study cited by the company only assessed four kinds of STIs rather than 10, and data used to train the AI model included images from users who never got a diagnostic test to confirm the results.
Given that most STIs are asymptomatic, according to the World Health Organization, medical professionals have questioned the reliability of the app’s tactics. One Los Angeles Times investigation found that Calmara couldn’t even discern inanimate objects and failed to identify “textbook images” of STIs. YouTube videos also show that Calmara marketed itself to women to vet their dates, creating obvious questions about consent, although a March press release insists the app required “explicit consent.”
The HeHealth app, which uses the same AI, marketed itself more as an initial step for individuals before connecting with a medical provider.
The company agreed to shut down both of the apps by July 15th, and Calmara’s website and links to the HeHealth app appear to be offline. The company also agreed to delete all personal information from customers obtained through the apps or payment vendors and request those vendors to delete any data on their customers, the FTC said.
But articles describing the app and videos from Calmara that remain on YouTube as of Tuesday show that it gave users signals of whether genitals were “clear” or whether a user should hold off on sexual activity with a partner due to signs of a possible STI. At one point, according to reports, the company marketed the app as “your intimate bestie for unprotected sex.”
“The hardworking staff of the FTC are so committed to protecting consumers that they are even willing to wade through pages of dick pics to protect Americans from AI scammers,” a source familiar with the matter, granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment on the record about the investigation, told The Verge.
The FTC issued a civil investigative demand (similar to a subpoena) seeking information about Calmara’s advertising claims and privacy practices and put HeHealth on notice that it’s illegal to make health benefit claims without “reliable scientific evidence.”
HeHealth did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge.
The FTC said it would not pursue the investigation further since HeHealth agreed to those terms and because of “the small number of Calmara users and sales in the U.S.” But, it warned, “The Commission reserves the right to take such further action as the public interest may require.”
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
HeHealth’s AI-powered Calmara app claimed, “Our innovative AI technology offers rapid, confidential, and scientifically validated sexual health screening, giving you peace of mind before diving into intimate encounters,” but now it’s shut down after an inquiry by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The app prompted daters to submit dick pics to check for sexually transmitted infections, promising “clear, science-backed answers about your partner’s sexual health status,” according to an FTC letter dated July 11th. The letter lays out some of the agency’s concerns with the information HeHealth relied on for its claims, including one saying that it could detect more than 10 sexually transmitted infections with up to 94 percent accuracy.
Screenshot: Calmara (YouTube)
The FTC notes that HeHealth paid several study authors, that the main study cited by the company only assessed four kinds of STIs rather than 10, and data used to train the AI model included images from users who never got a diagnostic test to confirm the results.
Given that most STIs are asymptomatic, according to the World Health Organization, medical professionals have questioned the reliability of the app’s tactics. One Los Angeles Times investigation found that Calmara couldn’t even discern inanimate objects and failed to identify “textbook images” of STIs. YouTube videos also show that Calmara marketed itself to women to vet their dates, creating obvious questions about consent, although a March press release insists the app required “explicit consent.”
The HeHealth app, which uses the same AI, marketed itself more as an initial step for individuals before connecting with a medical provider.
The company agreed to shut down both of the apps by July 15th, and Calmara’s website and links to the HeHealth app appear to be offline. The company also agreed to delete all personal information from customers obtained through the apps or payment vendors and request those vendors to delete any data on their customers, the FTC said.
But articles describing the app and videos from Calmara that remain on YouTube as of Tuesday show that it gave users signals of whether genitals were “clear” or whether a user should hold off on sexual activity with a partner due to signs of a possible STI. At one point, according to reports, the company marketed the app as “your intimate bestie for unprotected sex.”
“The hardworking staff of the FTC are so committed to protecting consumers that they are even willing to wade through pages of dick pics to protect Americans from AI scammers,” a source familiar with the matter, granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment on the record about the investigation, told The Verge.
The FTC issued a civil investigative demand (similar to a subpoena) seeking information about Calmara’s advertising claims and privacy practices and put HeHealth on notice that it’s illegal to make health benefit claims without “reliable scientific evidence.”
HeHealth did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge.
The FTC said it would not pursue the investigation further since HeHealth agreed to those terms and because of “the small number of Calmara users and sales in the U.S.” But, it warned, “The Commission reserves the right to take such further action as the public interest may require.”