Web site listing names of people with STDs crosses the line

by Michael Jones · 2008-11-12 14:13:00 UTC
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HIV AIDSAdd this to the list of most vile Web sites out there -- the Web site stdcarriers.com has launched, attempting to act as a clearinghouse for people to report "others" with sexually-transmitted diseases (STD).  You would not expect a site like this to garner media attention, yet the founder of the site claims that on November 2, CNN reported on the site's work.

Here's what the site is.  It allows anyone, regardless of proof, to submit someone's name and report them as having an STD.  The person submitting this report needs no factual basis for the claim; rather, the site relies on hearsay and then posts the reported person's name, a photo, their hometown, their weight, age, etc., and lists them as having an STD.  No medical evidence necessary.

Stdcarriers.com has a flimsy worded legal statement that says, "If you have been wrongfully listed on this site there are several measures you can take against the person responsible for your listing. First if you have a clean blood test have the results sent to our fraud department. Once your results are confirmed by STDCARRIERS.COM we will provide you with the IP address used to report you as a STD carrier and the time it was posted."

In other words, they put the burden of proof on the person being reported.  Ridiculous.

I also can't figure out why a site supposedly dedicated to STD prevention has nothing but advertisements filling its pages dedicated to sex.  I'm sure they don't have any control over it, since it appears to be a product of "Ads by Google," but so much for sticking to their principles.

The site is generating a lot of controversy already, with LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS activists rightly claiming that the site allows people to post rumors without oversight, verification or documentation requirements.

I'm not sure what's being done on the ground to stop this site from moving forward.  One possibility may be to contact the ACLU-Oregon office to encourage them to look into this site.  Clearly, there is no reconciling the mission of stdcarriers.com with its shady practice of scarlet-lettering people.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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