Bumble Updates Unmatch Feature So Bad Actors Can’t Hide
Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, November 27 2020 @ 11:32 am
Last modified on Friday, November 27 2020 @ 11:43 am
Dating app Bumble introduced a new update for its “unmatch” feature to help prevent bad actors from trying to hide on the app.
According to Tech Crunch[*1] , this new feature is a safety upgrade for users who want to report abusers on the app. Before, it was easy for a user leaving abusive messages to hide from their match by pressing the unmatch option, because the conversation thread would disappear from both users’ message history. This made it harder for people to report abuse on the app – there was no digital trail.
Now with the update, the user who chooses unmatch will have the conversation disappear on their side, but it will still be available for the person who didn’t select unmatch.
The conversation will be grayed out in their message feed, but if the user clicks on it, they will get a message saying that the other person unmatched them, and a notice offering a “help” button and access to support appear on the screen. From there, the user can report any harassment or abusive behavior. If there’s nothing to report, the user can delete the chat and remove the conversation from their feed.
This is an important change because now Bumble can preserve conversation history for investigation into bad behavior.
The update follows a similar effort by Match Group to step up safety features for its star app Tinder. A recent investigative report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said that out of 48 Tinder users who reported sex offenses and assaults from people they met over the app, only 11 had received responses from Tinder of any kind. The company quickly put in place an in-app reporting process for users and directs them to crisis counseling resources. Parent company Match Group also put together a team of mental health and safety experts and appointed a new Head of Safety to oversee the company’s processes and products for all its apps.
The investigation also pointed out how bad actors could hide on Tinder simply by unmatching, which prompted Bumble to address the same safety issue in its app. Bumble says it’s the only app to archive and maintain conversations for review, even after one person deletes them.
Still, dating apps have a long way to go in terms of ensuring user safety. Several dating apps including Tinder did not screen for sex offenders according to a comprehensive industry report from 2019, which seems a basic first step as Tech Crunch pointed out.
Bumble’s updated feature is available to use now.