In case you missed the shitstorm, this morning NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller proposed the idea of using a mobile phone app to record and establish mutual consent before people engage in sex.
According to Fuller, this would hopefully be a way to combat the prevalence of sexual abuse in Australia. But, as I'm sure you're already thinking, there would be a number of limitations surrounding the idea of "digital consent".
The proposal has prompted scepticism from both politicians and the general public, who voiced their concerns at why this sexual consent app would, quite frankly, be a horrible idea. Here are their words and reactions:
1.
We need consent law reform, we need holistic consent education, we need to stop men feeling they are entitled to whatever they want, we need an independent complaints process, we need justice. We need equality. WE DO NOT NEED AN APP!! #nswpol
2.
Women: Please listen to our many conversations, professional studies and reports about consent. Reduce sexual violence by changing culture, policy and power structures. Also have in-depth conversations with fellow men and boys in your life about what constitutes cons— Men: https://t.co/YOhG0wWyaP
3.
Men: consent is so complicated! Women: it’s not just ask M: How are we supposed to know? W: ask us M: what if she changes her mind!? W: ask us M: what if she’s quiet & I’m not sure!? W: ask us M: if she’s too drunk to answer? W: then you can’t ask us Cops: ok fellas, how’s this?
4.
This consent app idea is simply the most ridiculous thing I've heard of... and I'm in an Indian family Whatsapp group where my aunties invent cures for cancer everyday
5.
An app for sexual consent. What the fuck is the world coming to?
6.
So Mick Fuller thinks a 24 hour consent contract is a good idea. I have a better idea - just teach the meaning of the word NO!
7.
He drugs her. She falls unconscious. He grabs her phone. He finds the app and he ticks 'yes'. Then he rapes her. Oh, this is going to work a treat for rapists everywhere. #auspol #EnoughIsEnough #MVAW #MVAC https://t.co/i9AboU77yY
8.
I want to know why @nswpolice are proposing a sexual consent app that potentially green lights rapists and doesn’t allow consent to be withdrawn by woman during the process? #auspol #consentapp
9.
Mick Fuller how many people did you & @nswpolice ask about this? An app will not solve consent problems (Consent can be revoked at any time) You could GOOGLE why this is problematic! It’s not a new idea. 😡*steam out my ears emoji*😡 https://t.co/lrvhyHE0tJ
10.
Bypassing addressing patriarchy and rerouting ethics into the buttons on an app is some black mirror nonsense.
11.
Woman: I was raped. Mick Fuller: It says on the app that you consented. Woman: I did not select that. Mick Fuller: I don't believe you.
12.
I am so furious that men find it easier to invent a new technology than to just *listen to and believe* women, other men, children, when they say they have been raped.
13.
A consent app won’t help prove a single sexual assault but it will make it harder to prove some assaults.
14.
Some of the solutions put forward by men in high-level positions to address violence against women in Australia: tapping into (possibly non-existent) retirement funds & a sexual consent app 😐. Just stop & LISTEN...survivors and experts have already put forward solutions.
15.
This sexual consent app is horrendous and deeply troubling. And it’s not just because it’s “unromantic” - if that is your biggest concern, you need to figure out your priorities. Victims will be even more dismissed (if that’s even possible) - “well, you agreed on the app.”
16.
@Brocklesnitch This has nothing to do with consent and just about protecting men and completely missing the point. It can fuck all the way completely off.
17.
How about instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a sexual consent app we use that money to give anyone who reports their assault a set of free consults with a mental health professional
Speaking to 2GB, Fuller later conceded that "the app could be a terrible idea."
Hopefully this response from the public will encourage not only the NSW Police Commissioner, but the Australian government to consider that perhaps — instead of spending millions of dollars developing this app — we should be shifting the entire conversation around sexual assault to begin with.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you would like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please contact:
— 1800RESPECT national helpline: 1800 737 732
— Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114
— Kids Helpline (if you're under 25): 1800 55 1800