Tinder Is Getting A Background Check Tool: What This Means For You

Tinder users will soon be able to run a fairly basic background check on potential future dates, Match Group has revealed, enabling users to avoid people who have a history of violence. The background check feature will be provided by Garbo, which will only make certain details available; users won't, for example, be able to see information about traffic history and drug-related matters.

Match Group announced the new partnership with Garbo on Monday, stating that it has made a 'significant contribution' to the latter company. Match plans to integrate Tinder and Garbo sometime later this year, giving Tinder users the option of running a low-cost background check on potential partners.

Garbo, which is a non-profit that was founded in 2018, pulls information from public records and other unspecified 'reports of violence or abuse.' The focus is on making users aware of potential histories involving things like restraining orders, arrests, harassment, and similar matters.

Tinder users will not be able to get information about traffic violations and drug-related legal matters, however, with Garbo stating this is a matter of equity. Match plans to integrate Garbo with some of its other dating brands in the United States following the Tinder integration.

What does this mean for you? If you're on Tinder in the United States, it seems you'll be able to run background checks on matches in the coming months, but it's unclear how the feature will be implemented. Based on Match's announcement, it seems the feature will not be free — it remains unclear, however, whether anyone will be able to pay a fee to run a check or if the tool will be limited to Tinder subscribers.