Match Group has a problem: The parent of Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and other dating apps has abusive users it's known about for years but has kept under wraps. That's per the Guardian, which centers on Stephen Matthews, a doctor serving a 158-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting women he met through Hinge and other apps. Some of the assaults took place after he'd already been reported to Match for other attacks—and his isn't the only case. Match has long vowed to clean up its act on the safety front, promising for years to release a transparency report that still hasn't emerged. That's led some to say that Match's efforts are little more than "safety theater," which the company is pushing back on. "We take every report of misconduct seriously, and vigilantly remove and block accounts that have violated our rules regarding this behavior," Match Group says in a statement.
It adds it has deployed new safety protocols, including "harassment-preventing AI tools, ID verification for profiles, and a portal that helps us better support and communicate with law enforcement investigating crimes." The Guardian found otherwise in its tests, showing that, as of this month, "banned Tinder users, including those reported for sexual assault, would easily rejoin or move to another Match Group dating app, all while keeping most of their key personal information exactly the same." "They're going to get worse," says Michael Lawrie, OkCupid's ex-head of user safety. "I'm hoping dating sites vanish." As for Matthews, the outlet notes: "The reality is that if Stephen Matthews were released today, he could get right back on a dating app. Match Group knows this—and now so do you." More here, including on how recently ousted CEO Bernard Kim was "just there to increase profits," per Lawrie. (More online dating stories.)
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