In July 2018, Match Group established the industry’s first Advisory Council with cross-functional safety leaders and experts across gender-based violence, child exploitation, and anti-human trafficking. This council has helped advise the company on the current standards and technology and provide meaningful recommendations to build and promote best practices and standards across our industry. 

Five years later, this council has been instrumental in supporting us in proactively identifying areas where we could enhance our safety efforts through continued investments in innovative technology features, rolling out education and safety tips, and developing new and existing policies and features that are moving the needle to make dating safer for everyone. 

Today, we are thrilled to celebrate the five-year anniversary of working with these renowned leaders who come from various backgrounds, ensuring diverse perspectives and expertise, including gender-based violence, children's safety, and anti-human trafficking awareness. These experts have held training sessions with our internal and executive leadership teams on a rolling basis to help ensure we are leading with a  survivor-centric approach in every aspect of our work. 

Our founding and current members include, the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN), Polaris, The Human Rights Campaign, Thorn, Me Too International, the University of Maryland School of Social Work, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Last year, we added global gender-based organization, NO MORE. 

Since the creation of this Advisory Council, these safety leaders have reviewed and provided feedback on several enhancements and key features. In 2021, RAINN conducted a comprehensive review of sexual misconduct reporting, moderation, and response across Match Group’s dating platforms. In partnership, we have worked together to improve current safety systems and tools across the platform.  

Additionally, members consulted and provided feedback on new technology features, such as "Are You Sure?", Share My Date, and photo verification with selfie video. With support from the council, we partnered with Garbo beginning in 2021. Garbo is a new online background check platform to help users get access to public information about violent or harmful behavior, including arrests, convictions, and sex offender registry records.

In collaboration with our partners at NO MORE, RAINN, Thorn and Me Too, millions of users across Match Group’s platforms have received tips and resources to help them make safer connections. This work has given users the resources and tools they need to connect safely and create meaningful relationships. 

Over the last year, our global education campaigns have included:

• Guides to healthy dating tips to reinforce green flags and encourage daters to set healthy boundaries;
• Romance scams awareness to educate users on how to protect themselves from different forms of online fraud;
• In-Real-Life dating safety tips to encourage users to utilize the safety features in the app and be safe when meeting connections; 
• Created steps for users to build healthy and meaningful relationships with mental health advocate and Olympian Aly Raisman;  and,
• Provided newly developed resources for single-parent users on digital safety tips for kids. 

While we take a global approach to our safety work, we also recognize the importance of looking at our current safety efforts with a local lens. Through the help of our council members,  they have helped facilitate and connect us  with 40+ regional gender-based violence safety organizations and NGOs around the world. Over the last few years, we have hosted safety round tables with safety experts to listen and gather feedback on safety challenges regionally, including in Brazil,  UK, Spain, Australia, and the U.S.

“Since joining the advisory council in 2018, it’s clear Match Group’s teams have been listening to the advice and feedback this council has provided over years with the rollout of several key features and safety education campaigns for users. This council was created to help inform and create change and I’ve always been appreciative to be part of this work.,” said John Shehan, Vice President, NCMEC’s Exploited Children’s Division. 

“I can remember attending the first meeting in New York and the commitment Match Group made at that time to enhance safety on the platform. Since the beginning, the company has always been very responsive to our feedback and it has been incredible to watch how this commitment has morphed into what it is today.,” said Dr. Judy Postmus, Dean, University of Maryland School of Social Work

We appreciate each of our partners whose dedication, expertise, and unwavering support have helped create new safety standards across our industry.  We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners and experts worldwide while leveraging the latest advancements in technology, data analysis, and user insights to create even safer experiences for users across our platform.  

To learn more our commitment to safety, click here, or to learn more about  Match Group Advisory Council members, click here..