Our Commitment to Safety

At Match Group, we are focused on leveraging technology and building practices that are continuing to make dating safer as well as helping keep our communities safe around the globe. As a company, we are committed to helping users date more safely and are continuously investing in ways to enhance the safety and tools offered across Match Group’s portfolio. Our approach to safety is centered around helping prevent and disrupt potential harm by utilizing technology including AI to detect potentially inappropriate language.

In 2018, the Match Group Advisory Council was established consisting of advocates and experts on safety, advising the company on the prevention of sexual assault, sex trafficking, dating violence, and harassment. In working with NGOs, safety experts and law enforcement around the world, we are able to understand the latest trends and continue investing in technology and enhancing our policies.

We remain engaged in conversations with elected officials and safety experts in order to work together to identify and take steps to help improve safety not only on the platforms within our portfolio, but beyond our industry as well.

Our Approach to Safety

We use a network of trusted safety tools

Match Group brands use a network of industry-leading automated and manual moderation and review tools, technologies, processes and policies – and spend millions of dollars annually – to prevent, detect and remove people who engage in inappropriate behavior on our apps. Examples of tools our brands use include:

Automatic scans of profiles upon creation for red-flag language and images;
Ongoing scans for fraudulent accounts or messaging activity;
Manual reviews of suspicious profiles, activity, and user-generated reports.

Our brands also depend on our users to report any profiles engaged in concerning behavior so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.

Safety Features:

Photo Verification using video selfie

Video selfie takes Photo Verification to the next level. Previously, members would take still photos while holding a series of static poses, and these photos were compared against others on the member’s profile. Now, to get Photo Verified, members need to complete a series of video prompts. While no photo verification process is perfect, this helps keep those verified accounts more real. Built by Tinder, this tech has been implemented across the Match Group portfolio.

Safety Center

The Safety Center is an interactive part of our apps that includes local resources, articles, tips, quizzes and information about safety and privacy features. It’s available at any time - from settings and from the safety shield that appears when members are chatting. The Safety Center was developed in collaboration with the Match Group Advisory Council and additional NGO partners to not only help protect, but also to educate members so they can make more informed choices on our apps.

Are You Sure?

Are You Sure? serves as a real-time warning to users to think twice about their opening line. It uses automated tools to detect harmful language and proactively intervenes to warn the sender their message may be offensive, asking them to pause before hitting send. The feature was first launched on Tinder in 2021 and has since expanded to Hinge, Plenty of Fish and Meetic.

Nearly 100 times per minute we prompted users on Tinder to reconsider sending a message that our systems detected as potentially abusive or harmful. Users who received an Are You Sure prompt changed their behavior 17% of the time and edited or deleted a potentially abuse or harmful message.

Photo and ID Verification

Video selfie takes Photo Verification to the next level. Previously, members would take still photos while holding a series of static poses, and these photos were compared against others on the member’s profile. Now, to get Photo Verified, members need to complete a series of video prompts. While no photo verification process is perfect, this helps keep those verified accounts more real.

Built by Tinder, this tech has been implemented across the Match Group portfolio. Additionally, Tinder is rolling out ID Verification. Users on Tinder in the US, UK, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand have the option to complete both Photo Verification and ID Verification, checking both their date of birth and their ID photo likeness on their Profile page.

Safety Resources

All Match Group brands have in-app safety resources that equip daters with a comprehensive suite of information to keep members informed about the latest safety features while providing the most up-to-date information and tools in the online safety space. These resources are continually being updated and evolved in collaboration with the safety experts on our Match Group Advisory Council.

Customer Care Teams

Each of our brands has their own robust customer care team dedicated to supporting our users and addressing any complaints or reports of bad behavior. Serious violations of our Terms & Conditions are reported to Match Group’s centralized safety repository and cross-referenced across our various brands to see if the user has other accounts on other platforms. If any are found, they are blocked as well.

Match Group’s Safety Policies

We identify, detect, and take appropriate actions to remove bad actors

At Match Group, we prohibit the following groups of people from using our products:

Anyone younger than 18 years of age;
Anyone who has been convicted of or pleaded no contest to a felony, violent or sexual crime;
Registered sex offenders;
Anyone suspected of sex trafficking.

Match Group’s Terms & Conditions authorize us to remove users who fall into any of the categories above, as well as to conduct searches of sex offender registries and other publicly available records. If a user has been reported for domestic abuse, assault, or criminal activity (past or present) while they are active on our platforms, all accounts found that are associated with that user will be banned from our platforms.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech

We have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech on our platforms. In addition to our human moderators and investment in technology to detect banned language, we encourage and rely on our network of users to report any inappropriate language so that our Customer Care teams can investigate and take appropriate action.

We ban and block underage users

With the combination of technology and human resources, Match Group works diligently to keep underage users off of our platforms. In addition to using sophisticated automated tools, our brands collect birthdates, phone numbers, pictures, bios and other inputs used for age verification, as well as check profiles for red flags to keep underage users off our platforms. Human moderators also review accounts that have been flagged either by automated systems or by user reports, and act on those reports accordingly.

We do not allow prostitution, sex trafficking, or solicitation

Promoting or advocating for commercial sexual services, human trafficking, or other non-consensual sexual acts is strictly prohibited and will result in your account being banned from all Match Group platforms. Solicitation of any kind is also prohibited. If the purpose of your profile is to advertise an event, business, non-profit, political campaign, or contest, or to conduct research, we may delete and ban that account.

We ban and block fraudulent behavior and scams

Match Group has a dedicated team and sophisticated technology that detects and removes spam and fraud using a variety of tools including conducting automated and/or manual reviews of each member profile to block IP addresses from high-alert countries, identifying stolen credit card numbers, and detecting suspicious language in profiles. The Match Group brands instruct users to never send money to someone they met on our platforms, and to report any individual who asks that they do. These steps are designed to stop scams in their tracks and help protect the next potential victim.

For more information on romance scams and how to protect yourself, learn more from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Advice website.

If you believe you were a victim of fraud you should report the scam on our platforms and contact local law enforcement.

Response to Reports of Assault

We encourage users to report all instances of abuse or assault

All users of Match Group brands are able to easily report instances of abuse or assault in-app or online. When a member reports abuse or assault to one of the Match Group brands, we review and take necessary action, which can include identifying the user and blocking any associated accounts that are found on Match Group platforms.

We partner with law enforcement

We fully cooperate with law enforcement and will provide information to assist them for their investigation. We have also partnered with Kodex, a secure platform that enables companies to respond to legal requests from law enforcement, to help create a more streamlined and efficient way for police around the world to obtain relevant information for active investigations.

Prior to working with Kodex, Match Group created the industry’s first law enforcement portal to handle and respond to requests for investigations.

Financial Scam Protection

Over the last several years romance scams have grown in popularity. Match Group has taken steps to help prevent and warn users of potential scams or fraud using AI tools to detect words and phrases and proactively intervene. We have also implemented various ways to warn users of potential scams or fraud, from in app features to in-app education, and popup messages. To help further educate users on how to protect themselves on our apps as well as any online platform, we partnered with law enforcement and cyber crime investigators around the world to create a consumer education campaign on the different types of scams and how to identify common behaviors.

Stay on the app as long as possible

Scammers will attempt to get you on to another platform quickly which can be a common flag for these types of scams. Stay on the app when getting to know a new connection. If the match wants to move platforms but still does not want to meet up or video call it is a red flag.

Use the tools available in app

Make sure to verify your profile with Photo Verification and also look out for the verification check on your matches to help confirm they are the person in their profile pictures. You can also set up video chats before meeting in person to confirm your match is the person you’ve been talking to. If your date can’t do any of these things, it’s a red flag.

They’re a 10 but a crypto expert

Hard pass. If a new love interest is giving you crypto or investment advice, there is a high probability that it’s a scam. Always report these interactions back to the platform where you met.

The promise of a big return of investment or help secure financial future

According to experts, scammers will use techniques to focus on how a large sum of returns could improve your life or what you could do with this new money. Be skeptical of anyone who appears to be wealthy and successful and wants to teach you how to invest and make money.

They may play on your heart strings and appear to be desperate

Scammers often claim they need money for a visa, customs fees, surgeries, family medical bills, car repairs or plane tickets to visit. If they appear desperate and money is involved, this should be a giant red flag.

Scams can look different and constantly evolve. Keep your guard up and stay vigilant

Online scams have evolved as online platforms have become more accessible and gained popularity. Scammers can also play the long game and don’t just come out and ask for money when first getting to know someone. They often don't start talking about finance until months later after they've gained your trust. As a rule it’s best to never send or receive money via a wire transfer, money order, currency exchange, gift card or investment with someone you’ve never met in person.. Not for any reason. Ever.

Match Group Advisory Council

Formed in 2018, the Match Group Advisory Council (MGAC) is a group of leading experts and advocates involved in the study and prevention of sexual assault, sex trafficking, abuse, harassment, and similar issues. The council is the first of its kind in the industry, and regularly makes recommendations on how to improve safety on Match Group platforms. Current members include:

Lila Slovak

Executive Director of Consulting Services, RAINN

Eric Bloem

Vice President, Programs and Corporate Advocacy, Human Rights Campaign Foundation

John Starr

VP, Business Operations & Strategic Impact, Thorn

John Shehan

Vice President

NCMEC’s Exploited Children’s Division

Interim COO, MGAC Board

Pamela Zaballa

CEO
No More

Dani Ayers

CEO

#MeToo Movement

Catherine Chen

CEO

Polaris

Yolanda Edrington

COO

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Dr. Judy Postmus

Dean, University of Maryland

School of Social Work

Government Relations

We support comprehensive safety laws and regulations

As a leader in connecting people, we believe we have an important role to play in defining the standards for all players in our industry. That's why we work closely with legislators and regulators across the globe to define and pass new safety-focused laws that can help make both our users and those on other tech platforms safe.

Match Group has endorsed or supported the following legislation:

The Respect for Marriage Act, which federally protects same-sex and interracial marriage. See more about our support here.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which is a critical federal law that protects survivors and helps fund programs to assist their recovery. See more about our support here.
The EARN IT Act, which establishes a joint commission of lawmakers, experts, and industry participants to set standards and best practices for internet companies to follow in addressing online exploitation of children.
The Protecting our KIDS Act, which requires registered sex offenders to provide information on their social networking profiles to the Department of Justice to make them easier to track online and for us to remove from our apps. See more about our support here.
A California law that requires all online dating platforms to (a) post safety tips and (b) provide the ability to report other users.
A Vermont law that requires all online dating platforms to notify users where they (a) engaged with another user who was removed for fraud, or (b) changed their contact information.
Bills in California and New York to give victims of catfishing legal recourse against perpetrators.

Match Group is a founding member of the Trust & Safety Professional Association, which supports the global community of professionals who develop and enforce principles and policies that define acceptable behavior and content online.

Match Group is also a member of the WeProtect Global Alliance, an international movement dedicated to global action to end the sexual exploitation of children online. As part of our membership, we are aligned with the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, developed and endorsed by the Five Country Ministerial.

And we have collaborated with the National Cyber Security Alliance in the U.S. to build best practices for the online dating industry as part of their “Stop. Think. Connect.” Campaign.

We welcome the opportunity to work with governments around the world to make the internet a safer place for everyone.

User Education and Resources