Dating App Tinder To Introduce Paid Background Checks

Dating App Tinder To Introduce Paid Background Checks.

Tinder, one of the world’s most popular dating apps, is adding a background check feature to its platform in the US. Later this year, Tinder will allow users to view public records information of prospective dates using their name or mobile number.

The move comes as user safety for digital dating has come under scrutiny. Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, plans to include the feature across all of its platforms at a later date.

“We recognise corporations can play a key role in helping remove those barriers with technology and true collaboration rooted in action,” Tracey Breeden, Match Group’s Head of Safety and Social Advocacy, said. Besides Tinder, the group also owns PlentyOfFish, OkCupid and Hinge.

Match has partnered with Garbo, a background checking platform, to provide the paid service. The dating sites company has also invested a stake in Garbo.

The background checks company was founded by women and collects “public records and reports of violence or abuse, including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes” to create its reports. The checks will not include any drug charges or traffic violations.

In a February blog post, Garbo said: “The research continues to show that there is no link between drug possession and gender-based violence.” User safety has become an important issue for digital dating companies amid heightened awareness about their risks.

A 2019 investigation by ProPublica found registered sex offenders on many of Match Group’s free platforms.

Following ProPublica’s investigation, 11 members of Congress sent a letter to Match Group President Shar Dubey. “Dating platforms, like those owned by Match Group, must be doing everything in their power to ensure the safety of their users. This means vigilant enforcement of terms of service that empower consumers in any online marketplace,” the February 2020 letter said.

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