If you’re meeting someone new from Tinder, there’s the possibility of checking up on a few things before actually see them IRL.
In March, the dating app made background checks available to its millions of monthly active users. Partnering with nonprofit platform Garbo, Tinder offers two free background checks for each user (up to 500,000 free searches to be claimed in total).
The feature comes in tandem with a range of updates aimed at enhancing safety and precaution for Tinder users. The app’s parent company, Match Group, partnered with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, ID verification is available worldwide, and Tinder has a devoted and evolving Safety Center with a burgeoning cluster of resources. The app also worked with U.S. anti-sexual assault organisation RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) to reconfigure the way in which reports of sexual violence and harassment are dealt with.
When it comes to this feature, the background check is one that is relatively new. It is worth noting that the background check has resulted in some complicated arguments that the feature is laden with risks regarding criminal justice and privacy.
For those who are looking to try it, here’s a step-by-step guide on how.
First, tap the blue shield icon.
This can be found anywhere on the app (it’s usually in the top right).
From there, click on the Safety Center.
The background check tool is located within the Safety Center, which has a number of features, as shown below.
The various tools offered by Tinder’s Safety Center.
Credit: Tinder.
Within the center, navigate to Garbo.
Under “Tools”, you’ll find a page titled “Tinder x Garbo”. Tap it and you’ll be taken to a detailed guide explaining what Garbo does and what the nonprofit’s collaboration looks like.
You will then be redirected to Garbo’s website.
Tinder will take you directly to Garbo’s site, where the background search can begin. Here, you fill in a basic form with information about your match, such as first name and phone number.
Your first two searches will be free. Each search afterwards has a cost of $2.50, which doesn’t include a small processing fee of $0.75.
Garbo will give you results.
Garbo will surface a result (though it isn’t clear how long this takes). After, you can choose what you would like to do — you can unmatch your potential date, or report your match. To do so on the app, you:
-
open the user’s profile > scroll down and tap the “Report” button
-
or head to your list of matches to select a specific user. You open the page in which you messages can be found, then tap the user’s photo to open their profile. Scroll down to their profile, and select “Report”.
You can also deliver reports via Tinder’s website. Tinder encourages reporting a match if a history of violence is discovered. The app also provides external resources, such as the Trans Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline — it’s 800.799.SAFE (7233) for reference.
If a unique match is not located, the company will ask you for more information, such as your match’s age.
After Garbo delivers a result, the choice is yours. Whether you want to report someone or unmatch them, your safety and comfort is a priority. As we’ve outlined, there are individual steps you can take to ensure a safe dating experience. And while these practices exist, the question of a broader societal change remains.
