Tinder adds safety check, panic button

Tinder is introducing a panic button for dates that take a dangerous turn. In a bid to lessen the potential risk of meeting with strangers, the popular matchmaking app also will give users the option to log in date details and share location data. The new safety features come as dating sites, Tinder among them, have been criticized for not being more responsive to bad actors on their platforms used by tens of millions of Americans.

Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, is partnering with Noonlight, an app that uses location data to connect people with emergency responders. Starting Tuesday, Tinder users can add a badge to their profiles that show they are “protected by Noonlight” and enter information about an upcoming date.

“As a company we’ve made great strides in building technology that our users can use to have a safer experience,” Match Group Chief Executive Mandy Ginsberg said. “Dating sites have been under scrutiny for how they protect users — or don’t — from predators and sexual harassment. And while registered sex offenders are banned from Match Group’s platforms, those apps don’t conduct background checks on all users.

Tinder users who add Noonlight to their profiles can enter information about a meetup, such as who they are meeting with and where they’ll be. Once they’re on the date, users can hit a panic button, and Noonlight will prompt them to enter a code. If the user doesn’t follow up, a text will come through from Noonlight. If there’s no response, Noonlight will put in a call. And if users doesn’t answer, or otherwise confirm that there’s an emergency, Noonlight dispatches the authorities.