You've just gone home with a Tinder date, and things are heating up. But you're feeling uneasy—after all, you don’t know him well and you're concerned about sexually transmitted infections (STIs). So what should you do?
A company called Calmara proposes a controversial solution: take a photo of your partner's genitalia and use their AI technology to determine if he’s “clear” of STIs.
Let’s address this right away: relying on an AI to scan images of someone’s genitals to decide if you should engage in sexual activity is a misguided approach. The concept behind Calmara raises numerous concerns, especially since most STIs are asymptomatic. Your partner could easily have an STI that the AI might miss, leading to a false sense of security. This is why traditional STI testing utilizes blood and urine samples to more reliably identify infections.
Other innovative startups are focusing on making STI testing more accessible and responsible. “In lab diagnostics, sensitivity and specificity are critical metrics that inform us about a test's potential to overlook infections or yield false positives,” says Daphne Chen, founder of TBD Health. She emphasizes that even the most accurate tests acknowledge a level of uncertainty, which is why companies like Roche transparently provide their validation rates to help clinicians interpret results accurately.
While Calmara states in its fine print that its results should not replace medical guidance, its marketing suggests a different narrative. Its website proclaimed: “Calmara: Your Intimate Bestie for Unprotected Sex” (this has since changed to “Safer Sex”). Additionally, a promotional video branded it as “The PERFECT WEBSITE for HOOKING UP!”
Co-founder and CEO Mei-Ling Lu clarified that Calmara should not be viewed as a serious medical tool. “Calmara is intended as a lifestyle product, not a medical app. It doesn’t address medical conditions or involve interactions with healthcare professionals. Instead, it serves as a free informational resource.”
Lu also mentioned, “We are revising our communications to clearly reflect our objectives. Our primary aim is to foster discussions about STI status and testing.”
Calmara is associated with HeHealth, established in 2019. Calmara and HeHealth utilize the same AI technology, boasting an accuracy range of 65-90%. HeHealth aims to facilitate initial sexual health assessments and connects users with nearby clinics for comprehensive screenings.
While HeHealth's approach offers more reassurance compared to Calmara, concerns remain, particularly regarding data privacy.
“It’s positive that they have an anonymous mode, which means you don’t have to tie your photos to personally identifiable information,” notes Valentina Milanova, founder of the tampon-based STI screening startup, Daye. “However, this doesn’t guarantee that your data is truly de-identified, as images could still be traced back to your email or IP address.”
Both HeHealth and Calmara assert their compliance with HIPAA regulations protecting patient confidentiality via Amazon Web Services. While this might appear comforting, Calmara’s privacy policy indicates that they share user data with “service providers and partners for operational assistance, including data hosting, analytics, marketing, payment processing, and security.” They also fail to explain whether AI scans occur locally on users’ devices or in the cloud, how long that data remains stored, and its intended use. Such vagueness raises concerns about the safety of users' intimate images.
These security issues pose risks not only for users but also for the company. Consider the ethical liability if a minor accesses the site to test for STIs. Calmara attempts to mitigate this risk by stating in its terms of service that it prohibits minor usage, but this disclaimer lacks legal protection.
Calmara exemplifies the dangers of overhyped technology; it seems more like a publicity stunt by HeHealth to ride the AI wave, providing users with a misleading sense of safety regarding their sexual health. These risks are significant. As Chen notes, “Sexual health is a challenging area for innovation, and while their intentions may be well-meaning, they may be rushing to market with an unrefined solution.”
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