Match Group's Controversial Handling of Offenders on Dating Apps

Despite claims of maintaining a database for reported offenses, Match Group, the parent company of popular dating platforms like Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid, reportedly allows banned users to rejoin these services easily. Reports indicate that individuals who have been suspended can create new accounts using the same personal information, raising serious concerns about user safety.

Since late 2021, Match Group's stock has plummeted by over 80%, and a recent investigative study is unlikely to reverse this trend. The investigation, conducted by the 'Dating Apps Reporting Project', revealed that while the company does maintain a record of reported sexual offenses, it fails to effectively utilize this information to prevent offenders from re-entering the platform.

The investigation involved creating over 50 test accounts across various Match Group services to assess the company's response to sexual assault reports. This testing occurred in two phases, with results showing that while reported users were typically banned within two days, many were able to circumvent these bans by using the same phone numbers and personal details to set up new accounts.

Internal documents suggest that Match Group has been aware of the issues related to sexual violence on its platforms since at least 2016. A centralized database, known as Sentinel, has been in place since 2019 to log reports of sexual assaults and other serious incidents. This system reportedly collects extensive data, including profile photos, phone numbers, birth dates, and IP addresses, with the intent of preventing banned individuals from accessing the services again.

However, according to recent findings, this preventive measure has not been implemented effectively. Match Group had previously announced plans to release a transparency report detailing reported incidents, but as of February 2025, no such report has been made public. Instead, internal discussions have centered around what information should be withheld from the public.

In a statement, Match Group described itself as a leader in the development of safety protocols, highlighting the use of AI tools to combat harassment and the implementation of identity verification for users. Nonetheless, there appears to be a significant gap between these claims and actual enforcement measures. Moreover, security vulnerabilities have been identified, including incidents where sensitive user data such as sexual orientation and online status were exposed.