Tinder-style adoption app sparks serious outrage

What appears to be an earnest attempt to simplify the complicated process of adoption has a lot of people up in arms.

Adoptly launched a Kickstarter campaign last week to create a mobile app to connect prospective parents with adoptable children.

The four-person operation has received a lot of criticism because of the app's similarity to Tinder, a dating app.

The concept video shows adults swiping right or left to accept or reject kids looking for a family -- and you can filter your preferences by ethnicity, age, gender and distance.

This merges the superficial stereotypes of dating with the serious work of finding homes for orphaned kids. Some wonder if the campaign is a parody.

Adoptly co-founder Alex Nawrocki said the company is authentic.

"We're not trying to gamify or make fun of this experience," he told The Verge.

The tech website pointed out that there are no social media sites for either the product or the business partners involved, and there's no evidence that the company has partnered with any sort of adoption or foster care organizations.

The campaign has since been pulled from both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and Nawrocki told the Observer they're in the process of closing a deal for venture capital.