When dating using an online app, things can get scary not knowing for sure that who you are talking to is really who they say they are. That’s why Tinder is taking action to keep their users safer. Tinder, a popular dating app, will soon enable users to run background checks on their matches before meeting them face-to-face or even continuing an online conversation.
Tinder’s parent company Match Group has recently partnered with a non-profit background checking platform called Garbo. Though, everyone will be welcomed to get a background check, the new feature will be introduced specifically with the intent to protect women and marginalized groups.
The option to conduct a background check will be available to all users, though Match Group is hoping it will specifically help one group in particular. The company believes that especially women and other marginalized groups have faced safety barriers for far too long. As a corporation that provides matching couples for relationships, they are stepping up to the plate to help ensure the safety of its users.
In order to conduct a background check on Tinder, the only thing users will need to do is look up their match using either their first and last name or their first name and their phone number. This simple step will help users make more informed decisions before choosing to proceed with dating their match.
Keep in mind, however, that not every element of a person’s history will show up on the background check. Garbo will reveal public records of abuse and violent crimes, but it will not include issues such as parking fines or drug arrests. Garbo will be limited to work with only the data that is available with about 80 percent of all sexual assaults left unreported.
Before introducing the idea of having access to a background check, abusers were able to hide since these records were often hard to find and expensive to gain access to. Background checks are also known to still be fairly easy to circumvent by using a fake name. Adding the option to conduct a background check, however, will hopefully still help to keep users of Tinder a bit safer.
The newest background check feature will also come with an additional price. Though, the exact pricing details have not yet be established. Ultimately, Tinder will try to make the background checks affordable enough so that it is accessible to most users.
Garbo testing will begin on Tinder over the next few months beginning in the spring of 2021. An implementation to the full app is expected to be available later this year, so you can feel a little bit safer when matching up to celebrate starting with the holidays and at that New Years Eve party welcoming 2022 a little bit safer.
Match Group, the parent company that owns Tinder and one partnering with Garbo to offer background checks, will also be implementing the background check option into their other online dating services as well. These other dating apps or sites include PlentyOfFish, OkCupic, and Hinge.