Match Group Expanding Background Checks to More Apps

Match Group is bringing the free background checks feature on Tinder to two more of its dating apps: Match (its signature app) and Stir, an app geared toward single parents.

The feature allows users two free background checks on matches, and after that there’s a cost. Right now, premium users on Tinder get four free background checks, and the same will apply for users of Stir and Match, according to The Verge.

The background checks feature was implemented in partnership with security service Garbo which actually runs the background checks. According to The Verge, when a user is chatting with someone and suggests meeting, a box pops up to ask if they want to do a background check. If they tap on the link, they see some safety tips before being transferred to the Garbo platform where the report is accessed.

How to do a background check on Match

Image: Match

Using the feature can be a bit clunky, first because it’s not done within the dating app, but also because the user is required to provide certain personal information on their match, like first and last name, birthdate, location or phone number (something Match doesn’t automatically provide), which can be a bit awkward to ask for.

The background checks are limited, and according to Match Group and Garbo, only provide whether a match has a history of “violent and harmful behavior,” which means it tracks arrests, convictions and whether they are on the sex offender registry. Some critics have said that offering this information impacts marginalized groups, who may have convictions for non-violent crimes like drug possession, and doesn’t necessarily catch all people who have violent behavior patterns.

The ability for users to run basic background checks on dates is a game-changer nonetheless, especially with the lack of better safety and security measures on dating apps as a whole. A report by ABC in Australia in 2019 found that many users who reported harassment and violence from matches they made over Tinder didn’t hear back from customer service at all when they reported it.

Since then, Match Group has made safety a priority, first by hiring an executive in charge of security across its apps. It has implemented several measures to help increase safety for users, including adding an emergency response button, allowing a user to share their location with a friend while they are on the date, developing an easier and more accessible reporting feature for users who are harassed or abused over the app, and now, background checks.