Match Group, the parent company of dating apps including Tinder,
Plenty of Fish, and Match, has cut off its ties with the NGO Garbo that has
been providing background checks to users on Match Group’s platforms.
Background checks first became a thing on Tinder in 2021 and
were later offered on the other dating apps too. The tool had been allowing
users to gather additional publicly available information about their potential
dates, by just using their last name and phone number. The checks mainly provided
information related to criminal records such as public reports about violence,
past arrests, convictions, and restraining orders.
Founder of Garbo, Kathryn Kosmides, revealed the reasons for why the NGO decided to end its partnership with Match Group. According to her, Garbo has faced “continuous harassment and threats by bad actors” on Match Group’s platforms, as well as a lack of support and initiative from the company.
