Match Group Partners with RAINN and Announces New Safety Feature

Dating app conglomerate Match Group has announced its partnership with RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the country, to help combat sexual assault via its online dating platforms.

According to Business Insider, the company has asked RAINN (The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to conduct a “comprehensive review” of how it handles sexual assault reporting across all of its apps, and to recommend best practices to better address the problem and keep its users safe.  

RAINN said that about 40 million people in the U.S. use dating platforms, and sexual violence is a pervasive problem. The organization recommends avoiding profiles with no bio information, and to research each match on social media before reaching out. Above all, don’t share personal information up front with potential dates.

Match Group has been focused on addressing this issue since a report broke from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation citing an alarming problem. After they surveyed 231 Tinder users, they found that 48 had reported some type of sexual offense, but only 11 had received any reply at all from Tinder. Since, Tinder has unveiled a panic button for users to call for help if they are in an emergency, as well as a tool that verifies photos online.

This week, the company announced that it will be adding another safety feature, making it easier for users to report bad actors who use the “unmatch” feature to hide from their victims, following a similar move by dating app Bumble. When a user chooses unmatch, they disappear from the other user’s Match List along with their chat history, making it difficult to track or report the offender.  Tinder will be offering a new Safety Center shield icon at the bottom of the messages screen that will direct users to the part of the app where they can learn how to report users who have already “unmatched” with them. 

Tech Crunch points out that in some ways Tinder’s rollout falls short of Bumble’s. Bumble allows people to report abusers directly from messages, whereas with Tinder, it’s sending users to another area to read about the how the process works, which might discourage some victims from reporting.

Match Group’s partnership with RAINN will bring about some much-needed changes in helping Tinder create better reporting functions and to create a safer environment for users on the app, according to Match’s new Head of Safety Tracey Breeden.

RAINN CEO Scott Berkowitz said in the joint press release that "sexual violence, unfortunately, is pervasive throughout our society, and dating platforms are not immune. We're glad to see that Match Group is focused on prioritizing safety, and we look forward to partnering with them to innovate approaches to these challenges and strengthen support for survivors."

The partnership will continue into 2021, with new recommended updates expected to follow shortly thereafter.