Twenty years ago, if you were a vengeful, embittered recent dumpee with vaguely sociopathic tendencies, you could spread false rumors about your ex having an STD via word of mouth (or, if you were artistically inclined, bathroom graffiti). Now, with the invention of the Internet, you can broadcast such information via a wide range of different channels, including STD Carriers Disease Control and Prevention Services, an online database that allows you to upload detailed personal information about alleged and confirmed STD carriers, which got a sexy new makeover "just in time for Valentine's Day."
The brainchild of Portland, OR native Cyrus Sullivan, STD Carriers Disease Control and Preventive Services is a completely free public database that lets curious parties browse over 1,500 listings of accused STD carriers. The listings include names, locations, descriptions, and occasionally photos, as well as details like sexual orientation and disclosure history. There are also juicy extras like celebrity STD carrier lists and an STD awareness merchandise store, featuring the website's trademarked slogan, "Click it before you stick it" (which took me about five minutes of repeating out loud, over and over again, until I actually figured out what it meant).
Sullivan, who started the website in 2008 after dating "some chick during college who didn't disclose to me that she had herpes," is making the rounds in the press for his website's new facelift, and he insists that there's absolutely nothing unethical about posting people's personal information online and accusing them of having STDs. In fact, the site's mission statement claims that "it is our goal that by promoting the sharing of information that we can ultimately protect you health from dangerous diseases while protecting your civil liberties and providing quality entertainment," which is a totally legitimate argument if you're the kind of person who would've considered, say, the Salem Witch Trials "quality entertainment." As for the rest of us, however, I think we can all agree that running a website that allows anyone to publicly accuse someone of having STDs, with or without any verification, is a pretty despicable thing to do, even if it does feature a smashing new Valentine's Day-inspired redesign.
