Online dating is on the verge of becoming a whole lot safer. Tinder and other Match Group-owned apps are going to let their users run background checks on possible dates. The company announced an investment in Garbo, a nonprofit that looks to allow people to run background checks with only their first name and phone number or full name.
Once Tinder fully integrates Garbo, users can check public records and reports of violence or abuse before the first date. Garbo says it collects “public records and reports of violence or abuse, including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes.”
The background checks on Tinder won’t be free, but Match is working with Garbo to figure out how to price them so they’re accessible to most users.
Notably, Garbo said it won’t publicize drug possession charges in order to take an “active stance toward equity.” It cites research about the disproportionate percentage of Black people who are arrested for drug charges compared to white people. The company also says drug-related offenses don’t meaningfully predict “gender-based violence,” which is what the brand is primarily concerned with preventing. Garbo also doesn’t disclose traffic violations.
Forsided, 18.03.2021
Source: The Verge