Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, is in the process of revamping its safety features in the wake of a huge investigation by Triple J and Four Corners into alleged rapists and other sexual offenders who used the app.
In the week since the story first aired, the company says it’s been honing its safety features and will work to make sure law enforcement knows exactly what to do if something does go wrong.
“We truly hope that these stories educate, inform and lead to more investigative queries from law enforcement,” the company said in a blog post.
“We are not aware of any subpoenas or requests for information from any law enforcement agencies related to the survivors named by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).”
First and foremost, Tinder’s reporting system has now been updated so that users will get a response either in-app or via email with links to crisis counseling and survivor support resources.
“This response was written in partnership with external safety experts in the fields of preventing sexual violence and sex trafficking, law enforcement and LGBTQ+ advocacy,” the company added.
During the ABC investigation, several survivors said they couldn’t track down the men who allegedly sexually assaulted them because they had been blocked or unmatched.
The company has now stressed that even when that does happen, Match Group can still access the chat logs and hand them over to police if need be.
“Over the next coming weeks we will be reaching out to federal and state law enforcement and safety officials across Australia to set up meetings with our safety and legal teams so we can better explain the tools and resources we have dedicated to helping their efforts,” the statement continued.
“We also want to hear directly from these officials on ways to work together more seamlessly in the future.”
One of the survivors profiled in the original investigation, Beth, told Triple J on Monday that the changes are a step in the right direction, but that she still hadn’t personally heard from the company.
For its part, Match Group says it’ll keep reviewing its safety policies on Tinder and other apps more thoroughly in the coming weeks.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
