Image: Varavin88/Shutterstock via ETX Daily Up
Tinder users’ pasts will soon no longer be cloaked in secrecy. The dating app will soon roll out a new feature that will allow users to get a background check of the person they are dating. With just a person’s name and phone number, users in search of the truth will be able to find out if their “date” has ever been arrested for harassment, or worse.
This new feature, made possible through an investment in the nonprofit Garbo, will allow for background checks on users simply through their names and phone numbers. A very useful feature for users of dating applications. This feature will be deployed initially on Tinder, and will then be made available to all of the other dating applications of the Match Group company (OkCupid, Hinge and Match).
Sharing data that is public but also not so public
“Public records and reports of violence or abuse, including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes” will be collected by Garbo. If this information is not yet available, users will be able to provide Garbo with police reports, restraining orders, or other legal documents that document reports of abuse, harassment, or other crimes by users. Only drug convictions and traffic violations will not be used.
A paid service but cost not yet known
This sensitive information will obviously not be free for Tinder users. For the moment, the Match group is still considering what price to apply to this service while attempting to make it accessible to everyone. There is no indication yet if this option will be available a la carte or attached to a subscription. A test will be launched in the next few months on Tinder in the United States. Once the service is integrated into Tinder, it can be deployed on the American group’s other applications.
Towards more transparency on dating apps?
With this new feature, the feeling of being a bit anonymous on Tinder will no longer be the same. While these applications don’t necessarily put forward the full name of its users, allowing them to maintain a certain mystery, with this new service, the rules will change. As long as a user has access to the last name or phone number, information usually shared if both parties want to meet in real life, verification will be possible. New criteria to be taken into account that may change the popularity of some users on the platforms. JB
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