Australian Official Orders Dating Apps to Share Data on Sexual Violence

Australia’s Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has ordered the country’s top ten dating app services to hand over information on sexual violence reports, including Tinder, Bumble and Grindr.

According to Australian Associated Press, the information will include reports on “the extent of harm being experienced by users” as well as the safety protocols of these apps. Rowland has also requested data on the number of reports the app companies have received in regard to sexual harassment and abuse among users on these platforms, including during a message exchange or after a date.

Each dating app company is also required to share its protocols for preventing banned users from returning to the app under a new name and account, as well as the actions it has taken in response to reports, including police referrals or other services provided to users, according to AAP.

A few years ago, the Australian Broadcasting Channel (ABC) aired an extensive report on the lack of safety and follow-through from dating apps when it came to sexual abuse and harassment on their platforms. In some cases, users of these apps never heard back from the company after reporting an abuser.  And in 2022, a national survey found that a significant portion of dating app users had experienced some type of abuse or harassment via dating apps.

This led to a crackdown on dating apps in the country, including Rowland’s warning threatening government intervention if they don’t improve their practices.

Earlier this year, Australian government officials convened a roundtable with dating app executives to address concerns, and Rowland and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth invited law enforcement and state and territory governments to participate as well.

Companies like Bumble and Match Group (which owns Tinder), have since enhanced safety features on their apps. This year Tinder unveiled two new features: “Incognito Mode” where users could hide their profiles until they had Liked a match, and “Long Press Reporting” where users could tap and hold an offensive message to go directly to the Reporting feature in their chats, making it easier than ever to report.

The company also launched House Rules, a code of conduct for users of the app to engage in respectful interactions and conversations.

Last year, Bumble unveiled Private Detector, an AI-powered tool that detects and blurs lewd photos, allowing the user to report the offender without having to see the photo. The company has also launched an anti-discrimination offensive to penalize users who express discriminatory behavior against another user.

Still, the officials say there is more work to do since dating apps can be used anonymously, and therefore are more conducive to bad behavior.

"The work we are undertaking will provide the government a strong evidence base as we consider policy reform options that may be required in this area," Rowland told AAP.