Tinder launches background check tool amid safety concerns

• The company said it has been working on the tool since last March

• The background check will provide information regarding arrests and convictions for certain crimes

Match Group Inc’s (NYSE: MTCH) Tinder said on Wednesday it is launching a tool to let users run a background check on their dates.

The online dating app has come under fire for not addressing safety concerns following sexual assaults and other crimes on the app.

Since last March, the company has been working on the tool, Match Group said, when it invested in Garbo Technology Corp., a nonprofit background check organization.

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Users who opt to use the tool will be directed to Garbo and asked to enter information about themselves and their match including name and phone number.

Garbo will provide information regarding arrests and convictions for certain crimes. The platform will also indicate whether it has high, medium or low confidence in the results.

Confidence indicators and limited information would help address the drawbacks of background checking, said Garbo.

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Garbo, for instance, would not provide information regarding arrests and convictions for financial crimes that are more than seven years in the past as well as for homicides or robberies that took place more than 14 years ago.

The criminal justice reform advocates set the time limit to give people the chance to start a new life.

The results would also exclude arrests or convictions for some offenses, including marijuana possession, vandalism, breaking curfew, and loitering laws.

Picture Credits: Reuters