Mobile Swiping Technology Has Gone Too Far with Sperm Donor Matching

When Tinder came onto the dating scene, people rejoiced. Finally, a means of online dating that allows for the users' vapidity and shallowness to have a voice. People could swipe right because they liked the drapes in the background of a potential match's picture, or swipe left because who wears a purple shirt in the middle of winter? The opportunities for matches seemed endless, and the lack of sincere commitment to another person primed Tinder as the best hook-up app to ever be invented. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there.

Businesses viewed the success of Tinder as a jumping off point. Entrepreneurs, startup founders, and investors insisted that if they could somehow take the swiping technology and apply it to other, less tawdry purposes, they could make a fortune. Retail apps, networking platforms, even actual dating websites tried out this unique method of entertaining users. And while these services seem like odd places to swipe, you have no idea how bad things have apparently gotten.

Enter Order a Daddy from the London Sperm Bank. This mobile app will allow you to find sperm donors in a Tinder-like fashion on your mobile device. You'll have access to physical characteristics, donor self-summaries, medical information, pen sketches and staff impressions of the donors in the click or swipe of a touch screen. While the profiles are obviously anonymous, female users will have all the freedom they need to make an informed decision in less than 5 seconds. And while this may seem like the worst place ever for this kind of technology to exist, the London Sperm Bank understandably disagrees.

“Ordering sperm from an online catalogue or an app does not trivialize treatment, and every step meets the requirements of the HFEA (Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority),” said the London Sperm Bank in a statement.

Online dating is one thing. But doesn't the process of choosing 50 percent of the genetic make-up of your potential child warrant more than the flick of your finger? This decision is not one to be taken lightly, and dismissing viable candidates in the same period of time it takes to eat a single Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is careless and a little crazy. After all, the swiping trend is a slippery slope, and before too long, you could end up swiping left or right to decide the president of the United States of America.

Photo: Flickr / Yacine Petitprez

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Written by:
Conor is the Lead Writer for Tech.co. For the last six years, he’s covered everything from tech news and product reviews to digital marketing trends and business tech innovations. He's written guest posts for the likes of Forbes, Chase, WeWork, and many others, covering tech trends, business resources, and everything in between. He's also participated in events for SXSW, Tech in Motion, and General Assembly, to name a few. He also cannot pronounce the word "colloquially" correctly. You can email Conor at conor@tech.co.
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