Tinder Debuts Feature to Stop Harmful Messages Before They Are Sent

Tinder Are you Sure?
Feature for sending Messages

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder unveiled a new feature as part of its effort to step up safety measures on its platform. “Are You Sure?” or the AYS? feature will deliver a pop-up to question a user before they send a potentially harmful message.

According to Mashable, AYS? utilizes AI in real time to detect inappropriate language, based on what users have reported to Tinder in the past. When a user types a message that is flagged or noticed by the AI, an AYS? prompt will automatically appear before the user can press “send.” According to Tinder, in early tests this feature reduced harmful language in messages by as much as 10 percent. The company also said that members who saw this pop-up were less likely to be reported for sending inappropriate messages, an indication that it could curb this behavior.

The goal with using an AI-driven feature is that it will improve and become more effective in countering harmful messages over time as it gathers more input.

This announcement follows a wave of security and safety measures Tinder has taken up over the past year, especially when scammers and abusers on the app spiked during the pandemic. Another similar feature that the company debuted was “Does This Bother You?” which prompts a user who receives a potentially harmful message to report it. User reports of inappropriate messages increased 46 percent thanks to the feature, according to Mashable.

Tinder was the first dating app to debut Background Checks, where users can access public records on matches regarding sex offenses or abusive behavior. The company also installed a panic button in partnership with safety app Noonlight, so users can feel safer on dates.

Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, hired Tracy Breeden as its in-house Head of Safety and Social Advocacy and created a safety advisory board to address safety and security issues. Part of this was in response to reports that there weren’t enough protections for users when they met people through the app, and when sexual assault violations were reported, they often went unanswered by the company, according to a scathing report by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) that investigated the problem.

Tinder hopes the new AYS? feature will help problems before they start. "The early results from these features show us that intervention done the right way can be really meaningful in changing behavior and building a community where everyone feels like they can be themselves," said Breeden in a press release.