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Dating is tough, and finding that special someone who will ultimately be there for you through sickness and health takes time and effort. Dating apps like Tinder were supposed to make this easier, but did little to allay the fear that the next time you swipe right, you’ll find yourself on a date with a psychopath.

That changed on Wednesday when MatchGroup, makers of the popular app along with its sister shadchanim Match, Hinge and OKCupid, announced a new security feature that provides inexpensive background checks to let users know if their future BFF has already been caught making indecent proposals. .

Garbo speaks

Using public information collected by the nonprofit background check platform Garbo, Tinder will now give its users free insight into the potential pasts of two important people, with a focus on arrests and convictions for certain violent crimes, as well as the status of the sex offender registry. .

This is the company’s latest attempt to address criticism of sexual assaults and other crimes that have occurred after connections were made on its apps:

• MatchGroup reportedly invested seven figures in Garbo last March to help launch its tool, which will also start providing basic information today on its website for $2.50 per search.
• In 2020, Match took a stake and a board seat in an app called Noonlight, allowing it to bring a “panic button” to its dating apps that can track users’ locations and notify people. authorities if things start to get risky.

Only murders in the recent past: Of course, no background check is perfect, and what Garbo will provide is certainly not the complete picture. Tinder users will not be notified of white-collar crimes that are more than seven years old, or of homicides or robberies that occurred more than 14 years ago.

The dating buzz: Meanwhile, Match competitor Bumble announced on Wednesday that it expects revenue to climb to $944 million, beating analysts’ forecast of $939 million and easing fears that its withdrawal from the Russian and Belarusian markets after the Ukrainian invasion would harm its results. From now on, only these three countries could embrace and reconcile.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.