The dating app Tinder will give users in the United States the ability to check if their potential dates have been convicted of violent crimes, a feature that experts say has limitations.
The app’s parent company, Match Group, announced Wednesday that it would begin offering access to Garbo, a new US online platform that checks backgrounds and can show whether a person has a history of violence.
After browsing Garbo through the Tinder app, users enter the name, phone or other details about the potential date to check information about arrests, convictions or sexual assault records.
Dating apps like Tinder have come under pressure to take action after women reported being sexually assaulted by men they matched with on the platform.
“This is just the first step in our mission to help proactively prevent harm in the digital age,” said Garbo founder Kathryn Kosmides.
Match anticipated that more than 500,000 free searches would be available, and that those checks would then cost $2.50 plus a handling fee.
Sexual violence researcher Nicole Bedera told AFP that sexual assaults are often underreported to authorities, with documented cases facing barriers in the justice system. It’s a crime for which “you’ll see a lower conviction rate,” she said.
Sarah Lageson, associate professor at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, points to a lack of consistency in criminal records and a racial bias present.
“Many white sexual predators do not have criminal records and many black people have a misleading or unfair one,” he warned.
For his part, Garbo drew attention to the fact that currently “we are connecting with more strangers than ever and yet we know very little about who we are meeting.” (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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