Contributed by: kellyseal on Thursday, August 01 2024 @ 07:17 pm
Last modified on Thursday, August 01 2024 @ 07:33 pm
A majority of dating platforms have signed on to a new dating safety code in Australia, in an effort to crack down on dating app users who violate policies.
According to News.com, dating app users who “harass, threaten, or share unwanted explicit photos” could have their accounts terminated across multiple platforms at the same time, intended to create a safer space overall for online dating. Seventy-five percent of companies operating in Australia have signed on to the new industry standard, including Match Group (which operates Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid among others), Bumble and Grindr.
A recurring problem with dating apps is user safety, specifically surrounding the growing number of users who receive unsolicited images. If a perpetrator is banned from one platform, they can easily move on to other platforms, so the new safety standard is intended to prevent this from happening.
Platforms who signed on will be required to alert police if there’s an “imminent threat to the safety” of a user, according to News.com[*1] . Companies will also be required to detail their complaints processes and publish data on how many accounts get terminated under the new code.
The new standards also have an educational component. Dating app companies will be required to measure and identify problems, as well as to educate users when their behavior is harming others.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth told News.com that the new standard code needs to hold dating companies to account: “What we’ve got to be clear is whether it’s sexual harassment, whether it’s unsolicited explicit pictures, these are unacceptable behaviours, and dating apps have a responsibility to educate the community and stop it from happening,”
She added that government officials were trying to stop “a whole hierarchy of behaviors,” according to News.com. Many dating app users have complained about harassment, unsolicited messages as well as pictures, and behaviors that create a hostile experience for dating app users.
News.com reports that the new industry standards include a process for how to approach the changes to be made. The government in Australia has established a Code Oversight Body that will monitor and provide a compliance rating to each company. Another Code Compliance Committee that includes a solicitor and sexual or gender-based violence policy among others will enforce the code. Responsibilities will include issuing formal warnings, development plans to help companies meet the cod, or kicking out companies that repeatedly fail to meet commitments they signed on for.