Tinder swipes left on catfishing, will add a panic button for dates gone wrong

• Tinder’s parent company Match Group has partnered with NoonLight for new safety features.
• These features will first be rolled out in select markets. A wider rollout is expected later in 2020.
• Users will be able to verify profiles, notify authorities when Tinder dates go wrong and also report users in case they send offensive or inappropriate messages.

Tinder is bringing new safety features to its dating platform like a panic button, location tracking and verification of user profiles. This will help reduce instances of catfishing and bad dates.

Tinder’s parent company Match Group has invested in NoonLight, which allows it to bring these security features to the app. In addition to Tinder, Match Group’s other dating services PlentyOfFish, OKCupid and Hinge will also get these features later this year.

“It’s a first-of-its-kind added security measure to help protect Tinder members even when they’ve taken their interactions off the app into real life,” said Brittany LeComte, Co-founder and CCO, Noonlight.

Tinder will roll out the panic button and anti-catfishing feature to US, UK, France and Germany users starting January 28. It is not clear when these features will be rolled out globally.

How do Tinder safety features work?

Before heading out on a Tinder date, users will be able to save information about the person. If something goes wrong, users will be able to tap on the panic button – this will notify the authorities with accurate location information of the user.

Tinder is also fighting catfishing by rolling out verified profiles. To get verified, users will have to click selfies in real-time. Tinder will then compare these selfies with existing profile photos using ‘human-assisted AI technology’. Tinder says that this feature is currently being tested in select markets, and that it will be rolled out more widely later throughout 2020.

Tinder also announced another feature to report offensive or inappropriate messages from your matches. This feature will try to detect an offensive message and then ask users if the message bothers them. After responding “yes”, users will have the option to report the person.

See also:

What is catfishing and how to know when you’re being catfished

Tinder says 'there are definitely registered sex offenders on our free products'

I met my husband on Tinder - here's what everyone gets wrong about online dating