Online dating sounds fascinating isn’t it! Very obvious with the amount of people (about 349 Million people worldwide) that use online dating apps. But incidents and stories of people being catfished, stalked and harassed on their first date by their ‘swipe rights’ they met online via these dating apps, have made people avoid these apps to some extent.
But to make online dating easy and fun and not traumatising, Tinder Just got a new safety measure. It is "Share My Date,", enabling users to inform their close ones, usually friends and family, about their upcoming date plans directly from the app.
Here’s How it works:
The feature allows you to forward all critical location and contact information quickly with just a few taps, before you go on that date with your match.
By clicking on the new feature, a link will be generated which will have all the relevant details including the name and photo of the person you matched with, the planned meeting location, and the scheduled date and time.
Share the link to whom you trust, who can really help if any unfortunate incident happens. So, it's upon you to choose those close ones, who should receive your date information.
You can set up an unlimited number of date shares, in simpler terms there is a flexibility to create as many shareable URLs as you can. You can also edit your date details in case plans change at the last minute. With a hint of personalisation, the feature allows you to include personal notes along with the link.
But Links are available for events planned up to max 30 days. Why? Well, Tinder can not let go of the privacy and discretion of their users, as links can be shared on social media with some other motives.
The best thing is, even without a Tinder account, you can still access the link, revealing details like the person's name, age, photos, and location, so you can share it with your family, who may not have a tinder account.
If your close friends do have a Tinder account, they can see the full profile and information but can't interact or message by going to the profile.
The feature will be available soon in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, India, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
Why is this Feature Introduced?
Lots of people already tell their friends about their dates, with more than half of singles under 30, about 51 percent, and nearly one in five Tinder users even tell their moms, as per tinder findings.
Melissa Hobley, Tinder's marketing executive, says the company is focused on making dating fun, safe, and respectful, and sees sharing date plans as a positive tradition.
Paul Brunson, Tinder's Global Relationships Insight Expert, thinks letting friends and family know about your dates can make them safer and should be part of your preparation before going on a date.
Online dating: what are the Safety Concerns?
Catfishing: It becomes very difficult to identify if the person you swiped right to by looking at his photo and profile is even the same person? Maybe he is impersonating someone. There are many incidents when people report that they have been catfished and on the other hand some complain about the creation of their ‘fake IDs” on these dating apps.
Stalking and Sexual Assault: People tend to share information which may harm their privacy, and may suffer online harrasment, balckmailing, etc. During the offline dates, many incidents have come up of stalking, kidnapping, sexual assaults and many other criminal activities.
Scams: lastly, many fall prey to unlimited scams that happen on these apps, for financial scams, emotional scams to romance scams. All are very common:
Top Safety Features in Dating Apps:
To tackle these safety concerns, Tinder and other most popular dating apps like Bumble and Hinge do have few safety features for safe swipes.
Tinder
- Mutual Matching: Tinder has a “mutual matching system”, where swiping right is the must before starting a conversation ensuring that you both have mutual interest in each other.
- Block/Report: Like social media apps, Tinder offers easy ways to block or report accounts, whether it's profiles, media, or conversations. Each report is taken seriously. There is a long press reporting feature, allowing users to tap and hold offensive messages to initiate the reporting process directly within the chat.
Bumble
- Private Detector: this feature automatically blurs potential lewd images shared on the platform. Users are notified if a lewd image is detected, giving them the option to view or block it.
- Profile Photo Moderation: It has a human and technological review processes to ensure that uploaded profile photos adhere to community guidelines, removing photos containing nudity, sexual content, weapons, drugs, violence, hate symbols, and images of children. It can detect fake or scam profiles.
Hinge
- First Date Check-In: it is a unique feature to Hinge, Through the 'We Met' in-app survey, users are asked if they went on a date after exchanging phone numbers, and if so, whether they would like to see the person again. If not, users have the opportunity to report any inappropriate behaviour encountered during the date.
- Always-On Safety: When someone sends in a report, moderators and automated systems handle it, with more serious cases going to Senior Moderators and Safety Specialists. This helps keep Hinge safe and enjoyable for everyone.
Few Dating Safety Tips given by Tinder
- Never send money or share financial information.
- Protect your personal information, including social security number and daily routine details.
- Take your time getting to know the person before meeting offline.
- Meet in public places and avoid going to private locations.
- Know your limits with drugs and alcohol.
- Don't leave drinks or personal items unattended.
- Use protection to reduce the risk of STIs and get tested regularly.
- Always ensure that sexual activity starts with consent and respect each other's boundaries.
In Conclusion, with these features and guidelines, dating apps have done their share of work. Online Dating is not a bad idea, but one can avoid getting trapped in any unfortunate incidents by recognizing some initial red flags and simply sharing details about your date with a trusted friend or family member helps a lot too.
©️ Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
