Tinder Is Adding an Option to Run Background Checks on Potential Dates

All it needs is a name and a phone number.

Yikes

Dating app Tinder will soon allow its users to run background checks on possible dates, The Verge reports.

Tinder's parent company, Match Group, made an investment of an undisclosed amount in Garbo, a nonprofit that facilitates these background checks based on just a first name and phone number — a partnership that could change the nature of intimacy, online relationships and privacy.

Criminal Injustice

It's a fraught development, considering users will be able to sift through Tinder profiles based on personal criminal records.

In an effort to make its system more equitable, Garbo announced in February it "will exclude drug possession charges on Garbo's platform," noting that "the criminal justice system has been used to monitor substance possession in a way that promotes systemic inequality for decades."

Still, if the data gets into the wrong hands it could spell disaster. Even more troubling: just last summer, Tinder banned users for including the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.

Sensitive Data

Tinder will likely charge its customers for the background checks. It's unclear whether its tied to a subscription model. Match Group will likely roll out the feature to its other dating apps, including OKCupid and Hinge as well.

According to Match Group, personal information won't be shared with Garbo — its customers will simply share a first name as well as a phone number or full name.

READ MORE: Tinder will soon let you run a background check on a potential date [The Verge]

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