New safety code unveiled to protect Aussies using online dating apps

Dating app companies have agreed to share complaints with police if there is an ‘imminent threat’, and will terminate accounts of known dangerous users under sweeping new protections for Australians.

Dating app companies have agreed to share complaints with police if there is an “imminent threat” to life or safety, and will terminate accounts of known dangerous users under sweeping new protections for Australians.

Improved complaints and reporting systems, better detection of harmful behaviours and transparent reporting of safety issues are among the new requirements for the online dating industry under a voluntary code that will be adopted from Friday.

The measures follow a national safety roundtable held last year after News Corp’s Swipe Them Out campaign exposed the extent of sexual and gender-based harassment and violence perpetrated through dating apps.

About a third of dating app users reported experiencing in-person sexual violence perpetrated by someone they met on a platform in the past five years, according to a 2022 report from the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Under the new code, the owners of dating apps like Bumble, Grindr, eHarmony and Match will step up their support for victims, by conducting risk-based assessments of every complaint received to determine if there is a risk of an “imminent threat to the life or safety” of the complainant or another directly impacted individual.

Dating apps like Tinder will be expected to comply with the new voluntary code.

Where there is a serious safety concern, the apps will “proactively escalate the complaint to the appropriate law enforcement agency in a timely manner”.

The platforms have agreed to publish regular transparency reports detailing the number of Australian accounts terminated due to safety breaches.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland at the roundtable on dating app safety. Picture: David Swift

They have also pledged to terminate accounts created by dangerous users who were previously banned, and to take “reasonable steps” to delete or otherwise block them from ever accessing the dating service.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the new industry code was an “Australian first” for the online dating sector.

“Online dating is now the most common way to meet a partner in Australia,” she said.

“These services did not develop overnight, and the lack of action over the last decade means that regulation has not kept pace with technology.”

Representatives from Bumble and Match addressed state and federal government ministers as part of the talks on how to tackle safety and violence. Picture: David Swift

Ms Rowland said the largest online dating services had made clear and public commitments to improve the safety of their services, including to “crack down on abuse and de-platform dangerous users”.

“The government will be watching the industry closely over the coming months as the code is operationalised, and we look forward to the eSafety Commissioner’s assessment of its effectiveness as we consider any possible next steps”.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said dating app violence was unacceptable.

“We must create communities — both in the physical and virtual world — where everyone is treated equally and with respect,” she said.

“Everyone deserves to live a life free of violence no matter where they are — and this includes online”.

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Originally published as New safety code unveiled to protect Aussies using online dating apps