Tinder will allow users in the United States to conduct background searches on their matches using Garbo, a background check platform that allows users to access public information about a person’s violent or harmful behaviour, including arrests, convictions, and sex offender registry records.
Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, Hinge and some other dating platforms, has partnered with Garbo and the National Domestic Violence Helpline in the US to extend 24/7 access to resources and information to users, including a chat connection to Garbo.
Each search on Garbo will cost $2.50 along with a small processing fee. Tinder will offer two free background checks to users at launch. It will also offer up to 500,000 free searches total. According to Tinder, all the money collected from users will go directly to Garbo to help them fund their operation.
“We know that the biggest indicator of future abuse or violence is a history of these types of behaviours. Whether it’s online dating or the dozens of other ways we meet strangers in today’s digital age, we should know if we’re potentially putting our safety at risk,” said Garbo founder Kathryn Kosmides in a statement from Tinder.
In March last year, an ABC investigation had revealed how women in Australia face threats of sexual violence when matching with men on Tinder. The investigation contacted over 400 survivors of violence on the platform and found that Tinder was often failing to respond to survivors who reported abusive behaviour.
A study published in the Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology journal in 2020 found that most cases of dating-app-based sexual happened during the first face-to-face meeting between the survivor and the offender.
All Tinder users in the United States will soon be able to use Garbo by either signing up directly on its website or navigating to the Safety Centre on the Tinder app. Once users receive a Garbo result, they can choose what they do with that information. Tinder recommends that users report the match if they find a history of violence. The service will also roll out to more Match Group properties in the future.
