JAKARTA - Tinder users in the US can now run an in-app background check to screen their matches for possible past violent or harmful behavior.
The checks were conducted through Tinder's partnership with Garbo, a non-profit organization that runs online background checks.
The company told TechCrunch that it is deleting all accounts that have been reported for violent crimes across all brands of the Match dating app, in accordance with existing policies.
The search will return results that Garbo finds relevant to the user's safety and will exclude some information such as drug possession and loitering. The search will also not include personally identifiable information such as addresses and phone numbers.
At launch, Tinder will offer two free background check searches for each user, up to a total of 500,000 free searches. After that, searching on Garbo costs $2.50 or around IDR 35 thousand plus a processing fee per transaction.
Users can perform a background check by pressing the blue shield in the app, then going to the Security Center, where they will select a Garbo article, which will then redirect them to the Garbo website.
The company also notes that Garbo's lack of history on background checks does not guarantee that users are completely safe and urges users to follow its security tips for meeting new people.
In addition, Match Group also announced on Wednesday, March 9 that they are partnering with the Domestic Violence Hotline. This hotline serves to provide survivors with an opportunity to chat directly with a trained advocate and offer referrals, and assistance with safety planning.
The background check in the Tinder app is the latest security-oriented feature the company has rolled out in recent years.
Last August, they added ID verification and have a blue tick feature or verified since 2020, to signal to users that their identity has been verified through photos.
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