Tinder Rolls Out Game-Changing Way For Users to Background Check Their Dates The dating app is partnering with non-profit Garbo in an attempt to help users feel and find more safety.
By Emily Rella
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Netflix's controversial and shocking documentary, The Tinder Swindler, captivated audiences when it was released last month.
The gist of the show followed a group of women who were scammed out of millions of dollars by a man named Simon Leviev that they met on the dating app and their attempt to hunt him down and recover their financial losses.
The film scared many and reminded viewers that not everyone on the internet is who they claim to be — especially when it comes to dating apps that only provide first names and barebone details.
Well, Tinder listened to the public outcry and its latest move makes it the first of its kind in the world of dating apps.
Related: 6 Tips From Tinder Execs on Finding Enough Success to Be Acquired
The dating app announced on Thursday that non-profit Garbo will make its online background check platform available to U.S. users and launch said platform on Tinder's Safety Center which is accessible for users on the app.
Match Group, which owns Tinder, will also be partnering with the National Domestic Violence Hotline which includes a "direct chat connection" on Garbo where users can live chat with an advocate from the Hotline.
Tinder will give users two free background checks (with a total of up to 500,000 free searches total) and the rest of the searches will cost users $2.50 per search.
"For far too long women and traditionally marginalized groups have faced many barriers to resources and safety," Tracey Breeden, Head of Safety and Social Advocacy at Match Group explained in a statement. "Garbo's thoughtful and innovative consumer background checks will drive the industry forward while empowering people with critical information to help inform personal safety choices."
For dating app users who are hesitant or nervous about who they're going to meet, the new partnership could be a game-changer.
Match Group was down 35% year over year as of March 10, presumably because of early-pandemic lockdowns and restrictions being lifted.
