Feature rolled out on Tinder, Plenty of Fish and Meetic beginning in 2021, and over time intervention prevented 500 million potentially problematic or harassing messages from being sent

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 – Today Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH) announced the safety feature “Are You Sure?” (AYS?) is expanding to millions of users across a suite of platforms by the end of the year, including Match, Stir, OurTime, BLK, Chispa, and Upward. Hinge plans to roll out this feature next year. 

AYS? serves as an anti-harassment feature that asks users to think twice before sending a message, providing a warning in real-time to users about their opening line. The feature uses automated tools to detect potentially harmful language and proactively intervenes to warn the sender that their message may be offensive, asking them to review and consider editing it before hitting send. 

The feature was first launched on Tinder in 2021 and has since expanded to Plenty of Fish and Meetic. Since the initial roll out, more than 500 million messages have been either edited or deleted by users after the feature triggered to flag potentially harassing or problematic language. 

“We know certain words and emojis can be seen as harassment, but we also recognize that there are users who may not realize how messages can be perceived by others. This tool has been a powerful way to help educate and encourage users to not send messages that could be potentially harmful to others,” said Rory Kozoll, Senior Vice President of Central Platform and Technologies for Match Group. “Intervention and prevention help provide meaningful changes in behavior, while also giving users a way to put their best foot forward when first getting to know someone.”

Over time, there has been an 84% decrease in the feature being triggered to users on Plenty of Fish, indicating the tool is effectively guiding users to learn from the intervention prompts and change their behavior. The tool was built based on language members have reported in the past, and has continued to evolve and assimilate behavior over time to flag new words and phrases. It is now available in 18 languages around the world. 

“In a male-dominating society, our collective socialization too often teaches us not to respect women or value boundaries,” said Ted Bunch, Chief Development Officer of A Call to Men. “‘Are You Sure?’ seeks to prevent inappropriate or unwanted communication and promote the reflection of one’s behaviors and learned habits. We are proud to partner with Match Group on this responsible, forward-thinking initiative and believe it will help promote healthier interactions and relationships.” 

As part of expanding this feature to more platforms, Match Group is launching a “Respect Before Swiping” campaign in the coming weeks to provide additional education to users via in-app and email messages to encourage everyone to be respectful and respect boundaries. 

About Match Group:

Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH), through its portfolio companies, is a leading provider of digital technologies designed to help people make meaningful connections. Our global portfolio of brands includes Tinder®, Match®, Hinge®, Meetic®, OkCupid®, Pairs™, PlentyOfFish®, OurTime®, Azar®, Hakuna® Live, and more, each built to increase our users' likelihood of connecting with others. Through our trusted brands, we provide tailored services to meet the varying preferences of our users. Our services are available in over 40 languages to our users all over the world.