Conservative Dating App The Right Stuff Launches to Controversy

The Right Stuff, a conservative dating app backed by investor Peter Thiel, launched in late September and has already been met with controversy. More than one quarter of users give it a one-star rating, with many complaining about the lack of women using the app despite the female-focused marketing campaign.

The campaign featured several women professing to want a conservative man with their same conservative values. However, the people joining for the most part seem to be middle-aged men, and they are not finding a lot of choice when it comes to swiping. Another reason for the lack of people on the app could be its invite-only premise. New users can only join if invited by an existing member.

According to Gizmodo, January 6th is also sparking some controversy for the app, with some users posting that FBI agents have come after them after they’ve shared that they attended the rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol. The Right Stuff asks users to respond to a series of prompts when setting up their profile so matches get to know them, and one prompt says “January 6th was…” which is open-ended enough for people to write and potentially incriminate themselves.

Gizmodo reports that one user wrote: “App asks about January 6th... I said I was there because I was, I’m a patriot...I get a call from an FBI agent the SAME DAY????” Another claims that police officers showed up at his home after he responded to the January 6th prompt, alleging he was “involved in domestic terrorism.”

Gizmodo points out that there is no evidence that the FBI has pursued any users of The Right Stuff, despite what they may write about January 6th. Still, the prompt itself can provoke people, which might be the point to engage users.

When Gizmodo asked the company to comment, a Right Stuff spokesperson emailed in response: “The claims that users were contacted by the FBI or that we forwarded information to law enforcement are completely false.” When the news company asked why the app included January 6th in a prompt, in essence asking daters to talk about it with each other, the company defended itself by adding: “Our prompts are used as fun conversation starters where users can share their personality through their opinions.”

When asked, the FBI did not comment on the matter and instead referred Gizmodo to their website where arrests and other incidents surrounding January 6th are documented for public record.

The Right Stuff has not yet released download or subscriber numbers publicly.