On the occasion of “Safer Internet Day”, which is being held on February 7 in France and in more than 150 countries, the dating application Tinder has unveiled the new features of its platform, intended for greater security. The application has notably launched many security tools over the past three years (see box), while visits to its platform had exploded in full containment.
Rory Kozoll, vice president of product and integrity at Tinder, is one of those who brainstorm and coordinate security teams. “Every interaction on Tinder has been thought of as designed with safety in mind, but our members don’t always seem to be aware of what safety features exist, how to use them, or how to approach safety when continuing a conversation out of the app,” he explained in a Zoom interview. We were able to ask him a few questions about the dating giant’s relationship to security issues.
In ten years, Tinder has evolved a lot. What have you learned in recent years in terms of security, with the aim of creating authentic and safe encounters?
From the beginnings of Tinder, there was this desire to create a safer dating experience, first through mutual match: you have to like someone and they have to like you back to allow you to chat. This innovation is for me the sign of a desire for security, and therefore security has always been taken into consideration, from the beginning of the application. If you’re meeting strangers in “real life”, it’s important that everyone is genuine and respectful, and feels safe! Over the years, as we have seen certain issues emerge, we have addressed them and attempted to resolve them.
Dating apps are often perceived as insecure. Do you have the feeling, at Tinder, that zero risk is possible?
For starters, I think dating apps can be a lot safer place to meet than the “old” cruising spots! The way people met “in person” before apps was not necessarily safer. That said, some users, including female users, face real security issues. It is a social problem that also manifests itself in our technologies. I think most of our security functions focus on who is most vulnerable and how we protect everyone with the level of security everyone deserves.
One of the top safety priorities at Tinder, you reiterated, is the protection of women and the LGBTQ+ community. Do you think there is still a long way to go to achieve this goal?
Hope the road isn’t too long… Our platform is a reflection of society, and society hasn’t always been kind to the LGBTQ+ community. But Tinder has in its DNA to support this community since its launch, and to make this community feel safe and that everyone finds the person they are looking for. Regarding the protection of the LGBTQ + community, we have been ahead for a very long time, especially for a generalist application. It’s something that needs to evolve, and not just because we want to, but because the world is changing and expectations are higher.
In recent updates to “Are You Sure?” and “Does This Bother You”, I understand that the list of offensive words has been expanded. How are you growing this list?
It’s a process. Keywords play a role in machine learning, artificial intelligence helps to give context and interpret: a given word can be more or less offensive given the context. We are constantly trying to evolve the way these machine learning models understand what is being said and interpret conversations. I will say that it is a road that is still long at this level, which requires human intervention to interpret the data, look at what is missing, what adaptation can be made, etc. It’s a complex problem in data science, we try to combine the intelligence of machines and human intelligence to try to solve this type of problem.
As we have seen, Tinder is 10 years old, and the new generation is increasingly abandoning “classic” social networks… Are you afraid that Tinder will become has-been?
We believe we can talk to Gen Z just like any other generation! Of course, Generation Z is the first generation that grew up with smartphones in their daily lives, but also lived through a pandemic. We adapt to their needs: for example, they think a lot about their friends, they try to understand what they want in life after several years of Covid-19… So no, I don’t think we are outdated!
Tinder evolves on security
Among the new features offered by Tinder, the “Incognito” mode allows users to choose that their profile is only visible to people they have liked; the possibility of blocking a profile without necessarily reporting it or having matched it (which avoids meeting your ex). Tinder also indicates that it has simplified its reporting process, by pressing a long time on a message, to be able to report inappropriate messages more quickly .
Finally, Tinder had launched in 2021 the features “Are You Sure? (“Are you sure?”) and “Does This Bother You?” (“Does this bother you?”): these automatic messages may appear on the screen of users when sending a message, if it contains harmful language detected by an artificial intelligence; or upon receipt, to make it easier to report abusive or discriminatory remarks, again detected by artificial intelligence.
According to Tinder, these features would have made it possible since their launch to reduce by “more than 10% the inappropriate language in the messages sent” and “to increase by 46% the reports of messages containing abusive language”.