A damning investigation from nonprofit news organization The ???.?????.???.????Markup and Pulitzer Center's AI Accountability Network reports that Match Group (which owns major dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid) keeps records of users who are reported for sexual assault but doesn't take measures to properly ban them from the app network nor alert law enforcement or the public.
The case of Stephen Matthews is used as an example throughout the report. Matthews, a cardiologist, was reported for rape multiple times on Hinge, according to The Markup. Yet, his account remained up — and he was even made a "Standout" (a profile spotlighted for getting a lot of attention). Last October, Matthews was sentenced to 158 years to life in prison; a jury convicted him on 35 counts related to drugging and/or sexual assaulting 11 women between 2019 and 2023. Additional women accused Matthews of drugging and/or raping them that were not included in the court complaint, according to the report published today.
SEE ALSO: Meta-funded program teaches tweens about online exploitationDespite women reporting Matthews on the app, his profile remained up. Why?
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The Dating Apps Reporting Project, which published the investigation, said, "Match Group has known for years which users have been reported for drugging, assaulting, or raping their dates since at least 2016, according to internal company documents." While Match Group said in 2020 it was "committing to releasing our industry first Transparency Report for the United States for 2022," the company has still not yet published it.
In addition to this lack of transparency, the Project also found that Match Group doesn't have a robust enough system to ban bad actors, nor does it prevent users from re-signing up for the same app if it already banned them or signing up for another Match Group app. The researchers said they used various methods found online to see how easy it is for banned accounts to get back on the platforms.
"During multiple tests, we successfully created new accounts without needing to change the user's name, birthday, or profile photos," statistical journalist Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett said in the report. "The Markup did not test any methods that required significant technical knowledge and only utilized information that would be easily accessible to someone who did a cursory search of how to get around a ban."
Meanwhile, over the last few years, as Match Group's stock price declined, the conglomerate reportedly faced pressure to cut costs — and the Project said trust-and-safety operations were impacted as a result. The report said that the company resisted efforts to increase investigative measures and safety protocols as this could stall corporate growth, according to internal documents viewed by the researchers. Just one example is Tinder partnering with nonprofit Garbo on background checks in 2022, only for the partnership to end the following year.
"We recognize our role in fostering safer communities and promoting authentic and respectful connections worldwide," a Match Group statement to the Project read. "We will always work to invest in and improve our systems, and search for ways to help our users stay safe, both online and when they connect in real life."
It continued, "We take every report of misconduct seriously, and vigilantly remove and block accounts that have violated our rules regarding this behavior."
A Match Group spokesperson told Mashable:
Any report of sexual assault or violence is deeply concerning and should never happen — on our platform or anywhere. At Match Group, we are committed to continuously strengthening our safety efforts, investing in cutting-edge technology, and working closely with regulators and safety experts to protect our global community.
The Guardian story [the report was co-published there] relies on outdated information and mischaracterizes the current state of Trust & Safety on our apps, overlooking the significant advancements, industry-leading tools, and the work of hundreds of employees across Match Group who prioritize user safety every day. Our teams across the company are dedicated to making dating safer and ensuring our users feel respected and secure.
Read the rest of the investigation into Match Group.
UPDATE: Feb. 13, 2025, 3:34 p.m. EST This story was updated with a quote from a spokesperson from Match Group.