Tinder to offer criminal background check on dates

The popular dating app Tinder has announced it will offer users the ability to perform background checks on their date as a safety measure.

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The new tool will be integrated into the app’s “Safety Center” and will appear for users beginning this week, CNN reported.

Tinder, which is owned by Match Groups, announced last year their partnership with Garbo, a nonprofit group that collects public records and reports of violence and abuse, and plans to make the new feature available, as we previously reported.

Users who access the new feature will be directed to Garbo, where they fill in information about themselves as well as their match, The Wall Street Journal reported. Garbo will return information about arrests and convictions for certain violent crimes and sex offender status, and will also tell the user whether the site has “high,” “medium” or “low” confidence in the results, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Tracey Breeden, the head of safety and social advocacy for Match Group, told The Washington Post the new feature is designed to help users, especially women, feel safer about meeting potential dates. “This gives them an opportunity and that comfort level. Maybe they want more information before they have a video chat, maybe they want more information before they meet in person.”

Kathryn Kosmides, Garbo’s founder, said the company’s goal is to make information and records cheaper and faster for people who need them. “If you’re trying to make a safety decision, you’re not going to pay $95,” Kosmides told The Washington Post. “And you don’t have time to wait six weeks for the results.”

Tinder will give users two free background checks on Garbo to start, and non-Tinder users can purchase one, three, or five credits from Garbo for $2.50 each plus a processing fee, CNN reported.

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