MASHABLE – Bumble is introducing the Deception Detector, an AI-powered tool designed to eliminate spam, scam, and fake profiles from its dating app. The tool has shown effectiveness in initial testing, blocking 95% of unwanted profiles and reducing reports of such accounts by 45%. This initiative responds to growing concerns about dating scams and authenticity online, with 46% of women expressing anxiety over the genuineness of their matches. Deception Detector employs machine learning to assess profile authenticity, complementing human support efforts. This development comes as romance scams surged to $547M in losses in 2021.
Category: Reporters – Rachel Thompson
Bumble Reveals Dating Trends in 2023
MASHABLE – Bumble has released its annual predictions for what we can expect in the new year. Emotional needs are high on people's list of priorities.
- New year, new me(n) (74% of men say they've looked inward and analysed their own behaviour more than ever and have a clearer understanding of toxic masculinity.)
- Guardrailing (63% of daters say they're clearer about emotional needs and boundaries.)
- Love-life balance (54% care more about their work/life balance than their career status.)
- Open casting (One in three daters are now more open to considering dating beyond their "type")
- Ethical sex-ploration (53% believe it's paramount to express sexual wants and needs early on in a relationship.)
- Wanderlove (33% of people on Bumble are now more open to having relationships with people not in their current city.)
- Dating renaissance (Per Bumble's data, 39% of people on the dating app ended a marriage or serious relationship within the past two years. Some of them are using dating apps for the very first time.)
Tinder Is Launching Tinder Uni in the UK
MASHABLE – Tinder Uni can only be accessed by students with a uni email address (ending in ac.uk), and users will have to confirm that email address in order to gain access to the feature. Per Tinder research, 53% of graduates in the UK met a current or previous partner while studying and 62% of those are still with that partner. Tinder has launched similar features in other countries, namely Tinder U for U.S. college kids.
Bumble Makes Cyberflashing Detection Tool Available as Open-source Code
MASHABLE – In 2019, Bumble launched its AI tool 'Private Detector', which alerts users when they've been sent an obscene photo and automatically blurs the image. Now, Bumble is making a version of the tool available to the wider tech community on GitHub. Rachel Haas, Bumble's VP of member safety, said in a statement, "Open-sourcing this feature is about remaining firm in our conviction that everyone deserves healthy and equitable relationships, respectful interactions, and kind connections online."
Bumble Is Campaigning to Make Cyberflashing Illegal
MASHABLE – Cyberflashing is the act of sending non-consensual explicit photos. The violation is not currently illegal in England and Wales. It has been criminalised in Scotland for more than a decade. Bumble is launching a campaign #DigitalFlashingIsFlashing to call on the UK government to acknowledge the need for a new law in England and Wales criminalising the sending of non-consensual explicit images. According to Bumble, 48% of women aged 18 to 24 had received a non-consensual sexual photo in the last year alone, with 59% reporting they felt less trusting of others online afterwards, with one in four stating they feel violated.
Tinder Launches Vibes, A Compatibility Check Feature
OkCupid Predicts August 1 as the Hottest Dating Day of the Year in UK
MASHABLE – Feb 23 – According to OkCupid, Aug. 1 will be "the hottest day for dating in 2021," after Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to offer all UK adults the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 31. Vaccines are a hot topic among online daters at the moment, according to OkCupid data. The dating app reports a 137% increase in the mentions of 'vaccine' on OkCupid profiles between November 2020 and January 2021. 42% of OkCupid respondents said they'd cancel a date with someone who didn't want to take the vaccine.
Bumble Bans Fatphobic Messages and Body Shaming
MASHABLE – Jan 28 – Bumble will be modifying its terms and conditions to prohibit unsolicited, pejorative, disrespectful comments about someone's body shape, size, health, or appearance. Comments that are fatphobic, ableist, racist, colourist, transphobic, or homophobic will also be prohibited. The ban will apply to comments made through the dating app's chat function.
Hinge Rolls out New Features Including Roses
Hinge and Headspace Launch Free Pre-date Meditations
MASHABLE – Oct 6 – From today, daters can access Hinge and Headspace's pre-date guided mediations on hinge.co/headspace at no cost. The meditations last around five to six minutes and they tackle a number of emotions singles might be feeling before a date, from self-doubt to negative self-talk.