Contributed by: kellyseal on Thursday, November 10 2022 @ 06:54 am
Last modified on Thursday, November 10 2022 @ 07:02 am
Dating app Bumble announced it will be cracking down on false reports from users who target gender non-conforming and other LGBTQ+ users.
According to CNET, Bumble moderators are already dismissing close to 90 percent of violation reports directed at gender nonconforming members, not because they violated rules as the report points out, but because these reports aim to force LGBTQ+ people off the app. Bumble announced that it will not be tolerating this type of behavior, and they will be removing users who repeatedly engage in the practice of submitting false reports.
"Identity-based hate is an issue that negatively affects many communities and is something that increasingly many gender-nonconforming folks, like trans and nonbinary people, have faced in online dating," the company said in a statement.
These types of false reports, according to Indian Express, contained discriminatory language regarding the gender of the person being reported, suggesting that the profile might be fake.
Bumble says it will review each report and take appropriate action. Previously, these false reports were dismissed, but the people submitting them were not held accountable.
CNET[*1] also reported that the rollout of the new policy includes oversight of a broad range of discriminatory behavior, spanning "race, ethnicity, national origin/nationality, immigration status, caste, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, serious health condition, or religion/belief.”
The new initiative will include implicit bias training and discussion sessions with safety moderators to ensure people understand their biases and the people they are affecting.
Azmina Dhrodia, Bumble’s safety policy lead, said in the statement, “We always want to lead with education and give our community a chance to learn and improve. However, we will not hesitate to permanently remove someone who consistently goes against our policies or guidelines.”
Bumble recently open sourced its AI for its Private Detective feature, to allow developers the opportunity to incorporate it on their platforms. Private Detective can detect unsolicited lewd photos and blur them before the user has to see, allowing them to block and report the sender. The new crackdown on false reports is also intended to make the platform safer for all users. According to Bumble, these types of safeguards have allowed it to detect as much as 80 percent of community guidelines violations before they are even reported.
"We want our members to connect safely and free from hate that targets them simply for who they are," Dhrodia said.
Dhrodia went on to say: “We want this policy to set the gold standard of how dating apps should think about and enforce rules around hateful content and behaviours. We were very intentional to tackle this complex societal issue with principles celebrating diversity and understanding how those with overlapping marginalized identities are disproportionately targeted with hate.”
For more on this dating service, check out our Bumble app review.