Tinder Will Soon Let You Run a Background Check on Potential Partners For now, it's unclear exactly how this integration will work; there are no details yet on how Tinder users can request a background check.

By Stephanie Mlot Mar 16, 2021

This story originally appeared on PCMag

Worried about safety when using a dating app? Match Group and Garbo have teamed up to provide background check technology to social network users—starting with Tinder.

Initial tests will roll out to US swipers in the coming months. Once Garbo is fully adopted on Tinder, other Match Group brands (Match, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, etc.) will follow.

"For far too long women and marginalized groups in all corners of the world have faced many barriers to resources and safety," Tracey Breeden, head of safety and social advocacy for Match Group, said in a statement. "We recognize corporations can play a key role in helping remove those barriers with technology and true collaboration rooted in action."

Founded in 2018 by Kathryn Kosmides, a survivor of gender-based violence, Garbo aims to prevent dangerous situations by providing information about people before they connect. The platform's background checks compile public records and reports of violence or abuse—including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes.

"Before Garbo, abusers were able to hide behind expensive, hard-to-find public records and reports of their violence; now that's much harder," Kosmides said.

The nonprofit, which works with racial equity and gender justice groups, excludes arrests related to drug possession and traffic violations, which have a "disproportionate" impact on marginalized groups.

It's unclear exactly how this integration will work; there are no details yet on how Tinder users can request a background check. Neither Match Group nor Garbo immediately responded to PCMag's request for comment.

Stephanie Mlot

Reporter at PCMag

Stephanie began as a PCMag reporter in May 2012. She moved to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in journalism and mass communications.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Most Popular

See all

Growing a Business

Treating Your Business Like a Temporary Endeavor Can Boost Your Entrepreneurial Success — Here's How

Here's the mindset shift you need to make to truly succeed as an entrepreneur.

By Majeed Javdani

Business News

Want to Keep Your Customers? Keep It Simple — Here's Why.

Removing simplicity from your business is one of the easiest traps to fall into — too many offerings, too complicated to purchase, and not solution-orientated enough to solve problems. Return to simplicity, return to profitability.

By Adam Horlock

Starting a Business

She Started a Business With $300 After Getting Laid Off. It Made $300,000 in Year 1 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Company.

Bobbie Racette wanted to revamp the virtual assistance space — and provide job opportunities for underrepresented communities at the same time.

By Amanda Breen

Leadership

Remote Workers Aren't Lazy — They Need Empathy. Here's How to Build Emotional Resilience in a Remote Environment

Given the increasing prevalence of remote work, especially in light of the pandemic, this article delves into the various aspects of working from home, with a particular focus on emotional resilience. It draws from Dr. Emmy E. Werner's pioneering research on resilience and aims to provide guidance to organizational leaders seeking to effectively engage with remote employees by prioritizing empathy and support.

By Martin Rust

Leadership

'What, Like It's Hard?': This Brand-Builder Uses a Marketing Secret to Increase Voter Turnout. It's Working for 2 Million People — and Counting.

Mandana Dayani, co-founder of I Am a Voter, has been involved with "some version of activism" for as long as she can remember.

By Amanda Breen

Side Hustle

Want to Turn Your Passion Into A Business? Follow These 3 Important Rules

We helped an artist turn his art into a business — and you can do it too

By Jason Feifer