Tinder is adding a new security feature to the app to let online daters tell friends and family where they are.
The ‘Share My Date’ feature allows users to share the location, time and a photo of their match.
More than one in 10 adults in the UK use online dating apps, And Tinder is the most popular, with around 2.5 million adults in the UK using it, according to Ofcom.
Although a large number of people now date online, there are still Security Concerns range from scams when it comes to right swiping Follow And even sexual harassment.
Tinder is adding a ‘Share My Date’ feature to the app. Image: Tinder
According to research from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, nearly a quarter of online daters experience digital stalking, with 10% admitting that their location was tracked and another 10% reporting that their social media accounts or emails were hacked. Were taken.
As police have been given new powers to tackle stalking, Sky’s Tamara Cohen spoke to a woman who was stalked for eight years by a man she never met.
“There were missed phone calls, text messages,” he said. “Then I started seeing things like criminal damage to my car and my property. I lived in fear every day. This person was taking over my life and my network. I was intruding.”
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) suggests that the number of young people becoming victims of sexual assault after meeting on an online date has increased in recent years.
According to the agency, which is asked to investigate incidents involving women aged 19 and under in 2022, the proportion of reports involving sexual assault after an online date increased by more than 80% (83%) in six years Is.
The proportion of such incidents involving men increased by almost a quarter (24%).
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New measures have been announced to make it easier for police to protect victims of stalking after ministers admitted too many people are falling prey to stalkers.
Overall, the NCA has been asked to investigate the number of sexual assaults which has remained “fairly stable”.
Louise Wesley-Shore of the NCA said at the time, “Anyone dating online should be aware of the potential risks, so they can be better prepared and make the right choice for themselves.”
‘Date-ready checklist’
Letting friends and family know who you’re meeting and where your dates are can be safe and sharing details of your plans “should be part of your ‘date-ready checklist,'” said Paul Brunson, Tinder’s global relationship insight expert. “
Many people already share details of their date with friends and family. According to Tinder, more than half of people under 30 tell their friends where and when they’ll be, and one in five tell their mom.
Tinder is keen to make this feature part of the fun of meeting someone new.
“Discussing plans with friends and family is an age-old dating ritual,” said Melissa Hobley, Tinder’s chief marketing officer.
“Share My Date streamlines this basic information-sharing so singles can get straight to the exciting part.”
Share My Date will launch in the UK, US, Australia and elsewhere in the coming months.
