Tinder users will have a way to get out of unsafe situations.
According to reporting from Morning Brew, Tinder owner Match Group rolled out a partnership with location services app Noonlight that allows users to signal when they’re not comfortable with a date.
This installment will allow users to input details about their dates, share location services so the app tracks them during a date, and hit a panic button if emergency services need to be alerted.
According to a press release by the company, by January 28, users can input information about their dates in the Noonlight feature, including when and where they are going, and with whom; share location services so the app tracks them during a date; and hit a panic button if they need to alert emergency services.
TechCrunch reports that the Noonlight partnership follows an investigative report by ProPublica and Columbia Journalism Investigations from December 2019, which revealed how Match Group allowed known sexual predators to use its apps. The report also noted that Match Group didn’t have a uniform policy of running background checks on its dating app users, putting the responsibility on users to keep themselves safe. Similar to other buttons that connect users to emergency responders at 911, like Uber does, Noonlight’s own dispatchers will first reach out to the user, then alert emergency responders on their behalf, if needed. They’ll also be able to provide emergency dispatchers with information from the Tinder user’s timeline, like their location.
