Immoral Applications

I was recently surprised to see an ad for a particular application pop up on the Apple Store. With over 1,200 reviews and an average rating of 4.2/5, this app wasn’t just any app — it carried the subtitle, “Extramarital Dating.” I’m not here to pass judgment on anyone’s choices, but I do want to question the concept behind this app, ad and try to understand the reasoning.

While conducting research on privacy applications, I came across a website comparing secure messaging apps.. It was an insightful read, and I wish I could use more secure options. However, my social circle predominantly uses WhatsApp, which limits my options. Nonetheless, I decided to revisit Threema, an app I used back in 2016 but abandoned due to its limited user base.

As I searched the App Store to re-download Threema, the first result that appeared was this dating app — not just any dating app, but one specifically for extramarital affairs. I won’t name it, as I don’t intend to give it more visibility, but its motto explicitly promotes “Extramarital Dating.” The concept isn’t new or original — there have been others before, like Ashley Madison.

What disturbs me is the blatant encouragement of emotional harm, cheating, and infidelity. Beyond the immorality of deliberately hurting those we’re supposed to love, care for, and protect, the app is, in my opinion, degrading. To be fair, I did consider whether the app might be targeting open marriages or consensual relationships where all parties are transparent. However, the word “extramarital” confirms it’s exactly what I thought — encouraging secrecy and betrayal.

To clarify, I’m not in any kind of relationship, nor have I been browsing content that would trigger such an ad. This leads me to a few deductions:

My deductions :

• Apple’s Approval: Apple seems to be okay with this morally questionable app, having approved it for submission and even allowing it as an ad. Ironically, Apple’s strict guidelines prohibit apps with profanity or explicit language, yet they permit an app that promotes infidelity. It takes about 10 days to publish an app on iOS, compared to 2–4 days on Android, which makes this approval even more surprising.
• Misaligned Targeting: The app’s owner clearly did not narrow the ad’s target audience appropriately. When the target audience is too broad, the campaign becomes less effective and more expensive, ultimately reducing profit margins.
• Profit Over Ethics: It seems that even products that do not contribute to a better society can still be profitable. This raises a broader question: what does happiness and fulfillment truly mean for everyone?

Since you’ve made it this far in the article, I want to share something with you: there are people out there — let’s call them unscrupulous — who are perhaps less talented and less creative than you or me, and who lack a moral compass. These individuals are making money by promoting things that only benefit them, and while that might be fine up to a point, it tips the scales of fairness when it starts to affect us all. My unsolicited advice, to both you and myself, is this: bring your ideas and values to the forefront. Let your light extinguish the darkness. I wish you great success, and always take pride in even the smallest accomplishments.