Recon (app) explained

Recon
Developer:T101
Released:1999
Operating System:iOS, Android, Web
Genre:Dating app

Recon is a location-based online dating application and service specifically for gay men interested in fetish and kink.[1] It launched as a website in 1999,[2] [3] and as an iOS app in 2010.[4] It has 189,000 active users as of 2018.

Like many other gay dating apps, such as Grindr and Scruff, Recon allows users to create a profile, communicate with other members through private messages, and filters members by location and interests.[5] Unlike those apps, Recon started as a website, with some features, such as the ability to view a user's public x-rated photos, solely available on the website due to Apple's policy on adult content.[6]

One notable feature is the ability to filter members by their declared fetishes and kinks. The broad categories include bondage,[7] fisting,[8] leather,[9] rubber, bears, bikers, chastity, suits,[10] feet, gunge, watersports, and sports gear.

Recon is owned and operated by T101, the company who also produce Fetish Week London.[11] [12]

Events and publications

Recon produces a number of fetish events for members and non-members, in cities including London[13] and Paris.

Recon has produced two issues of a magazine, with high-quality photography and articles from the fetish community, which is distributed for free at gay venues.[14] [15]

Controversies

Removal from YouTube

In 2016, Recon's YouTube channel was removed due to allegedly breaching adult content policies. A day after BuzzFeed News approached YouTube with questions about the removal, the channel was reinstated.[16]

Effect on leather bars, sex clubs and saunas

Some have claimed that gay dating apps have a negative impact on local businesses such as gay bars, and that Recon's widespread usage[17] [18] by fetishmen has reduced business in leather bars, sex clubs and saunas.[19] [20] However, many businesses actively promote their businesses on Recon to appeal to local customers.

Location data leaks

In 2019, researchers at Pen Test Partners demonstrated to BBC News how it was possible to locate the exact location of a Recon user without their consent, along with users of other apps, through a process of trilateration. However, Recon was praised for taking immediate steps to rectify the fault much faster than some other apps.[21] [22]

Notes and References

  1. News: Martel. Frédéric. Grindr, blackmail and confession: The life of a gay seminarian. 2020-08-03. The Irish Times.
  2. Web site: Hudson. David. 2016-01-12. Recon Gay Dating App launch ad campaign on phoneboxes. 2020-08-03. Gay Star News. 2019-07-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190730014841/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/recon-launch-outdoor-campaign-on-phoneboxes-fetish-is-a-normal-part-of-gay-lifestyle/. dead.
  3. Web site: 2018. Recon Advertising Guide. T101.
  4. Web site: Gay Fetish Site Recon.com launches iPhone app. 2020-08-03. TechCrunch.
  5. Web site: 2018-12-07 . There's a gay fetish app that holds events all around the world . 2020-08-03 . PinkNews.
  6. News: Fox. Chris. 2019-01-30. Gay dating app Scruff bans underwear pics. BBC News. 2020-08-03.
  7. Web site: Savage. Dan. 'Help, my Recon hookup said no thanks after I'd blown $40 on rope and duct tape!'. 2020-08-03. Chicago Reader. 5 September 2018 .
  8. Web site: 2023-06-26 . Kinky Dating App Recon Review . 2024-01-23 . Fetish.com . en.
  9. Web site: AnotherMan. The Sexy, Secret History of Leather Fetish Fashion. 2020-08-03. AnotherMan. 13 February 2019 .
  10. Web site: There's a growing community who are thirsty for Dominic Raab and he doesn't deserve a jot of it. 2020-08-03. British GQ. June 2019 .
  11. Web site: T101 - Creating Deeper Connections. 2020-08-03. t101.com.
  12. Web site: Team. Q. X.. 2019-06-26. QX GUIDE: Fetish Week London. 2020-08-03. QX Magazine.
  13. Web site: Recon London – Boyz. 2020-08-03.
  14. Web site: ras. Fetish Focus: Confidence in Gear - Recon team member: OhBilly. 2020-08-03. QXMen.com. 2 March 2020 .
  15. Web site: RECON, Issue_02. 2020-08-03. www.regulation.co.uk. 2020-09-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922111606/https://www.regulation.co.uk/recon-issue-02-p03467.html. dead.
  16. Web site: White. Alan. YouTube Reinstates Gay Fetish Website's Videos After Claims Of Anti-Gay Bias. 2020-08-03. BuzzFeed. 26 May 2016 .
  17. Web site: Savage. Dan. How does one get into the gay BDSM bottoming scene?. 2020-08-03. Chicago Reader. 7 February 2018 .
  18. Web site: 2019-06-26. Savage Love: Bondage is the great gay-tribe unifier. 2020-08-03. The Georgia Straight.
  19. News: Siddons. Edward. 2018-10-04. Why is the gay leather scene dying?. The Guardian. 2020-08-03. 0261-3077.
  20. Web site: This Crew Is Keeping London's Gay Fetish Scene Alive. 2020-08-03. www.vice.com. 23 November 2016 .
  21. News: Fox. Chris. 2019-08-08. Gay dating apps still leaking location data. BBC News. 2020-08-03.
  22. Web site: 2019-08-09. Grindr and Romeo among gay dating apps leaking location data. 2020-08-03. PinkNews.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Recon (app)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.