Tinder ‘plans panic button’ for dangerous dates

App’s owner Match Group invests in Noonlight to introduce new safety features

Bars and restaurants have previously offered low-tech ways of raising the alarm, including asking for a pseudonymous staff member to alert workers to danger (Getty Images)

Tinder is planning to introduce a panic button in an effort to improve user safety, it has been reported.

The new feature will be tested in the US from the end of January, the Wall Street Journal reported, allowing anyone who feels in danger during a date to raise the alarm.

The in-built safety feature would provide police with a person’s real-time location in case of an emergency.

Tinder’s parent company Match Group, which also owns Match, OKCupid and Plenty of Fish, said no data or personal information would be collected for advertising or used by Match Group itself.

Instead, a third-party safety app called Noonlight – which Match Group part-owns – will handle any alerts.

Once triggered in Tinder’s app, a Noonlight dispatcher texts and calls the user to see if they need help. The police are only contacted if the user requests help, or does not answer their phone.

If it is accidentally triggered, the alert process can be stopped by entering a code. However, there is still the risk of false requests.

“The false positives, believe me, we took them into account,” said Match chief executive Mandy Ginsberg. “If someone doesn’t respond, worst case someone shows up and knocks on the door. It’s not the worst thing in the world.”

Other new safety features planned for Match’s suite of dating apps include photo verification and an updated in-app safety centre.

A recent investigation by ProPublica and Columbia Journalism Investigations found that Match Group did not have a uniform safety policy across its apps and claimed it allowed known sexual predators to use them.

The dating giant admitted at the time that it would not know if registered sexual offenders were using its platforms, as it did not collect enough personal information.

“As technology evolves, we will continue to aggressively deploy new tools to eradicate bad actors,” a Match Group spokesperson said at the time.

Bars and restaurants have previously offered low-tech ways of raising the alarm, including asking for a pseudonymous staff member to alert workers to danger