Popular dating app Tinder, along with its parent company Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH), has recently partnered with a non-profit organization to allow their users to run background checks on various potential dates. The accomplishment of such a feat will be done through the investment in the company of Garbo, which that enables individuals to run these background checks by full name, first name, or phone number.
This particular aspect of the social dating app could drastically affect those who get chosen on dates or the compatibility between individuals, especially if details such as histories of violence, reports of abuse, restraining orders, and other legal documentation. These reports, however, will not include charges that involve the possession of drugs in order to create an "active stance toward equity."
Although there will be a price for the Garbo background checks, both Match and Garbo are working alongside each other in order to figure out some reasonable prices that would be suitable for the average user. It still remains uncertain as to whether Garbo is as accurate as other background checks, but with time, it will surely be figured out.
The primary goal for the integration of the Garbo system into these apps is to increase levels of safety among users and for users to have a more accurate picture of whether they want to move forward with dating the selected individuals in the future.
Match Group Safety Head Tracey Breeden stated in a press release that, "This is an industry first. There have not been any background check options in the dating industry." Especially since abusers tend to hide behind their identities, given the anonymity of the internet, Tinder would like to find ways to combat these barriers so that a true sense of safety and trust can be established.
This new aspect of Tinder could give the company an advantage to the popular Bumble (NASDAQ: BMBL), which caters more to women by requiring women to message first. Women may feel that Tinder is a safer app moving forward, since users can be vetted for their abusive criminal history.
Match Group also owns other global dating companies including OkCupid, Hinge and PlentyOfFish, with the company planning to integrate Garbo's background check technology onto these apps in the future.