Tinder rolls out in-app access to background checks, powered by nonprofit Garbo

https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/09/tinder-rolls-out-in-app-access-to-background-checks-powered-by-nonprofit-garbo/

by karmaniak • 4 years ago

26 22 4 years ago

techcrunch.com

raxxorrax2• 4 years ago

This is completely indiscernible from satire.

kirykl• 4 years ago

Turning your users into their own free moderation labor

When Garbo surfaces its results, Tinder users can choose what they want to do next. If the person’s results indicate they have a history of violence, for example, the user will be encouraged to report the match to Tinder.

__turbobrew__• 4 years ago

I was thinking the same thing. Why doesn’t match just automate checks with garbo when a new user signs up?

sergiomattei• 4 years ago

This is some black mirror shit.

Yikes.

armchairhacker2• 4 years ago

If this makes women less scared and closed-off towards random strangers i think it’s a good thing.

It’s kind of a real issue that most women are really shy and uncomfortable around randos and hide their identities online, rightfully so because of men who are just awful towards random women they see and end up stalking and harassing them. It would be really nice if there was a way to just filter out creepy and rude people.

But I have a feeling this particular service won’t actually flag work and will end up being useless. And flagging people for no discernible reason or worse, flagging some ethnicities or unrelated characteristics more than others will open Tinder up to lawsuits.

krageon2• 4 years ago

[...] flagging some ethnicities or unrelated characteristics [...]

This implies ethnicity is a characteristic related to flagging.

armchairhacker2• 4 years ago

If they use machine learning, it has happened in ML to calculate bail or risk of reoffending

nicbou• 4 years ago

On paper, it's a good thing, but with the current economics of online dating, it might make background checks a requirement for men to stay in the game.

I have no skin in the game, but I'd hate to be a guy who has to decide whether dating is worth a background check.

ehutch792• 4 years ago

It's already a big question whether or not the basic proposition is worth the effort.

txsoftwaredev• 4 years ago

Maybe meeting random strangers from the internet for casual sex isn't the smartest idea to begin with.

raxxorrax2• 4 years ago

What if a tinder user was looking for true love?

ehutch792• 4 years ago

If what they write is to be believed, then women on tinder are only looking for true love.

TimesOldRoman• 4 years ago

This is 2022, not 1990.

nix23• 4 years ago

So there are no strangers in 2022 anymore? Or times are so much better then in 1990...but then..why the need for something like this?

What do you mean precisely?

aaaaaaaaata2• 4 years ago

Do what our parents did, go to the bar and let the liquor do the choosing!

999900000999• 4 years ago

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/09/ftc-s...

Considering a large part of Match's business model is essentially fraud, I'm not sure how this is going to work.

I haven't used an app in years since I had a very scary experience. I'm much happier now, and I'd advise anyone who wants to safeguard their mental well-being to delete this stuff. The vast majority of guys will never meet a quality partner online.

Sure you might "meet" someone who's 34 and she doesn't want to work or anything, and she expects you to send her money before she even meets up.

Or you can just be a social person in real life. I've had no trouble meeting tons of fantastic people, when I think about it. Everyone I've gone out with since I deleted the apps has been college educated with a great career. I never met a single person who had a decent job online. At most, maybe someone works 10 hours a week at Vons or something, and that's all they can do in their 30s.

Overall, social media in terms of meeting people is not a good idea. There's a near constant anxiety of checking or matches, of seeing if someone's even typing on Snapchat, blah blah blah.

Versus how I live my life, where I give a girl my number and if she's interested she's interested. This is how I've met practically all of my recent partners, and they've all been amazing.

From Garbo's FAQ:

Garbo is not intended to be used for the following purposes: Employment Screening Tenant Screening Credit or Insurance Hiring of Household Workers Educational Qualifications Volunteer decisions Stalking or harassing an individual Any other reason prohibited by the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Translation: We want to run a background check service without actually making sure these checks are accurate.

What a horrible idea. Let's imagine someone, Sarah, when Sarah was 19 she got arrested for shoplifting in Arizona. Then she's turned her life around. Then she meets a guy named Brad, who uses this disgusting service to figure out where she's from, and a host of other personal information.

Given dating apps are already used largely for fraud, this is just makes lives easier for scammers. Not only will the average guy never meet someone, but now you can get your identity stolen too!

sweetheart• 4 years ago

"I have an easy time meeting people, just be like me!"

mrep• 4 years ago

Sure you might "meet" someone who's 34 and she doesn't want to work or anything, and she expects you to send her money before she even meets up.

My brother and I use hinge and that has not been our experience at all. At least for me, 90% of the girls I match with have a good/decent job: lots of nurses and consultants, some med/law students, pharmacists, teachers, et cetera, et cetera.

selfhoster112• 4 years ago

Or you can just be a social person in real life. I've had no trouble meeting tons of fantastic people, when I think about it.

Oh, "just"? It was so easy all along, why didn't I realise it earlier?

Look, if you're good at social stuff, and meet lots of interesting people easily, that's great. But some of us don't have that.

selfhoster112• 4 years ago

I don't think I'd ask for a background check on a person I'm meeting. Instead I'd speak to their parents, and my parents, as a sanity check before things get too involved. Perhaps even talk to their friends a little to find out how they're perceived.

If I found out that my date did a background check on me, that would be a violation of my trust. I don't have anything to hide, but that doesn't mean you should be trying to uncover my background.

Tinder rolls out in-app access to background checks, powered by nonprofit Garbo

Related Stories