Condoms with QR codes track sites of safe sex

February 29, 2012

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Condoms with QR codes track when and where people practice safe sex (Photo: Shutterstock)

Over the past few years, it seems almost impossible to even take a trip to the grocery store without bumping into dozens of QR codes - those square graphics that can be scanned with a smartphone camera to bring up all sorts of information. Now it appears a Seattle-based organization has found another place to put them: in your pants. In hopes of promoting safe sex, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest distributed 55,000 condoms with QR codes that track when and where people make the beast with two backs through their website, WhereDidYouWearIt.com.

Mixing sex and Foursquare-like technology may seem a bit questionable, but the goal is to encourage condom usage and prevent STDs and unplanned pregnancies. The idea is to show that using condoms is commonplace and not something to be nervous about. Planned Parenthood has stated that it is definitely not trying to encourage or discourage sexual activity, only ensure that it is practiced safely.

Scanning the barcode on the condom wrapper will let a person upload their approximate location and a generalized, anonymous description of their *ahem* experience to the website. Each of these is tracked on a map at WhereDidYouWearIt.com, so anyone can see just how many people are using protection.

The website assures users that their exact address will not be shown; only a general area nearby. People are also only able to give sparse details in their descriptions by filling out a form that is then pieced together (for example, "A 20 something girl and a guy whose relationship is all about love and have already talked about safer sex and STDs used a condom in the bedroom with another birth control method.") Users can however rank their dirty deeds on a scale from "things can only improve from here" to "ah-maz-ing - rainbows exploded and mountains trembled."

Source: WhereDidYouWearIt.com via Planned Parenthood

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Jonathan Fincher

Jonathan grew up in Norway, China, and Trinidad before graduating film school and becoming an online writer covering green technology, history and design, as well as contributing to video game news sites like Filefront and 1Up. He currently resides in Texas, where his passions include video games, comics, and boring people who don't want to talk about either of those things.

5 comments

drgnfly004 March 1, 2012 01:29 PM

just finding more ways to invade our privacy. figures this came out of Seattle, my home town. planed parenthood needs to get out of our lives along with the rest of government, yes i know there not an official government body but you know this info will get into there hands and before long they will be telling us where and when we can have sex with who and oh by the way you need a license to do it now,

wwjdwtyler March 1, 2012 04:28 PM

I disagree drgnfly, their aim is not an invasion of privacy, it's the promotion of sexual promiscuity. Scanning the QR code and sharing your, "wonder sexual experience" is completely optional. Planned Parenthood would rather convince you to go practice, "safe sex" with whomever you would like than ever recommend sex be kept within marriage. Condoms aren't 100% effective you know, and doesn't PP happen to be in the abortion business?...

Gene Jordan March 1, 2012 04:28 PM

This website should be called, "Where I Whore'd Myself Out". The creation of this website is appalling to me as a human and as an American. It's more propaganda from Planned Parenthood that is obviously targeted at underage kids and promoting sex and misinforming them about condom use. Their own website states that condoms are 98% effective at preventing pregnancy (which is likely a doctored or made up statistic). If we are to believe that a pregnancy occurs as little as 2% of the time when a condom is used, how many unplanned pregnancies does that create daily which result in Planned Parenthood earning the right to perform an abortion and get paid to do it? This page and the website for it are nothing less than a promotional tool for Planned Parenthood under the guise of personal "safety". They might as well have commercials to advertise abortions. Planned Parenthood should be ashamed of themselves, again.

Michael Costello March 3, 2012 11:24 PM

Now we can tell if Sandra Fluke is telling the truth!

dkbdmngm March 10, 2012 04:08 AM

How did a magazine devoted to progress get 4 comments from such opponents of humanity and reason? The most needed thing in the world right now is massive contraception! We are destroying the environment at an ever-increasing rate, which has exploded in direct proportion to our numbers over the last 2 centuries.
Any organization which seeks to promote the use of contraception anywhere should be applauded and supported, as our technology will not save us from ourselves....only a smaller number of us will do that. Every human has an environmental impact, and the regions with better standards of living have over 100 times the per-capita decremental effect of the lowest. Nobody wants to return to primitive conditions, but to maintain a decent lifestyle, we will have to drastically lower our numbers to achieve sustainability.
This is the only real solution to our environmental crises, AND it is without cost. That is, unless your means of support is breeding to receive more income from the taxpayer.
You all should be ashamed of yourselves! Think about it!