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Databases Software

Tinder Users Will Soon Be Able To Access a Background Check Database (engadget.com) 69

Tinder and Match have announced a new partnership with Garbo, a non-profit, female-founded background check platform. In theory, it should allow Tinder (and Match Group's other sites) to ping Garbo's database and proactively show users when it finds something they might want to be aware of. Engadget reports: If you're not familiar with Garbo, it was founded by Kathryn Kosmides, a "survivor of gender-based violence" who wanted to make it easier to find information about people you may connect with online. Garbo's platform aggregates numerous data sources to provide details on an individual, including "arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes." The organization's site says that often times, you don't even need a last time to find some details on an individual -- a first name and phone number will work.

As part of the deal, Garbo's platform will be available to people using Match Group apps, starting with Tinder later this year. [...] Garbo cites making ridesharing services safer as another core initiative for the non-profit in addition to working with dating services, so it wouldn't surprise us to see a similar partnership appear between Garbo and companies like Uber or Lyft -- but for now, it's starting with Tinder.

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Tinder Users Will Soon Be Able To Access a Background Check Database

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  • Garbo? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Merk42 ( 1906718 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @04:29PM (#61162280)
    What an unfortunate word [urbandictionary.com] to call your product / company.
    • Re:Garbo? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Frank Burly ( 4247955 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @04:41PM (#61162342)
      To be fair, every word in urbandictionary is unfortunate.
    • Possibly an unfortunate idea as well. What happens when there's bad info on you and it's wrong? Or what happens in the case of an arrest but no conviction?

      While not an arrest, I've had a criminal citation issued, which was dismissed by the prosecutor because no crime had actually occurred. Does that show up?

      • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        You're going to be more popular if you're a man that's in top 20%. You're going to get mostly ignored if you're below top 20% if you're a man. No idea if you're a woman.

        There was a curious case where researchers made a tinder account for someone who described himself as a sex offender in the profile. With a typical top 20% male profile picture. Account got flooded with proposals from interested women who specifically expressed increased interest due to his sex offender status.

        • ... his sex-offender status.

          Not sure I agree but I do agree with an episode of House where ridiculously good-looking Dr Chase went speed-dating. Dr House postulated that many women (also speed-dating) will choose the status created by a handsome husband over a man they can dump they their financial/emotional needs onto. Dr Chase then pretended to be an unemployed slacker and women still wanted him.

          • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

            You can probably still find this on the internet if you're willing to sift through countless similar studies about behavioural patterns of people on services like Tinder. Study in question offered multiple screenshots of chat histories where women specifically expressed elevated interest in the subject because of the sex criminality he admitted to in the profile.

            • As odd as it may sound, in some cases (I don't know how frequently) rape victims fantasize about their experience, even though it was traumatic, and sometimes seek other people to help them relive that. That could be what you're seeing here. (It's known to occur in straight male victims of male rape as well.) It could also be some women are turned on by men that have a hyper-active sex drive, and being a sex offender is probably a strong indicator of that.

              • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                Rape fantasies are one of the most popular fantasies among women. Citation: romantic literature aimed at women.

                • Rape fantasies ...

                  If she's choosing the man, it's definitely not rape.

                  ... romantic literature ...

                  Many times in pulp fiction, a woman doesn't have a choice but it doesn't change the 'love interest'.

                  • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                    >If she's choosing the man, it's definitely not rape.

                    Fun part: that hasn't been an excuse for rape in modern legislation in much of West in at least a decade at this point.

                    And it's not that men don't have odd-seeming fetishes (from "mainstream" perspective). I believe it's proven on sociology to be around 5% of men who have cuckolding fetish for example. As in being on the cheated side. There's a decent chunk of porn specifically aimed at that fetish because it tends to go underserved in the mainstream.

                    • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                      >historically we have about half of male ancestors compared to male ancestors.

                      Was supposed to say "about half of male ancestors compared to female ancestors". I.e. for each male ancestor we have, we on median have approximately two women.

                      Basically expression of the fact that many males of child bearing age get no children, whereas almost all women who make it there have some children. And of males that do get children, it tends to be males with a large pool of resources, so they have reproductive access

    • by _merlin ( 160982 )

      I'm kind of surprised that the definition wasn't "garbage collector" - you know, the people who empty your rubbish bins. That's what it's always meant when I've heard it. Still an unfortunate name.

  • Unfair (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Like many on Slashdot I have been arrested for sexual assault and not convicted (long story). Why should my arrest continue to follow me for the rest of my life?
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Yep. This is probably illegal in Europe and should be heavily regulated. They should respond to Right to be Forgotten requests.

      • by sabri ( 584428 )

        This is probably illegal in Europe and should be heavily regulated. They should respond to Right to be Forgotten requests.

        No they don't. The EUSSR has no jurisdiction on U.S. soil. Period.

        • Wrong, the EU is the new world order. As such there is no soil - Terran nor Lunar nor Martian - that they do not have sovereign jurisdiction and total ownership over. And rightfully so - they are the true protectors of the People's Revolution.

          Wait a minute, that's retarded and nobody said that, ever. Well, maybe those people who foamed at the mouth for Brexit. What'll they think of next?

        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Tinder operates in the EU, and is covered by EU laws here.

          • From TFS:

            In theory, it should allow Tinder (and Match Group's other sites) to ping Garbo's database and proactively show users when it finds something they might want to be aware of.

            Tinder isn't gathering or holding that data. Nor is it posting it online.

            I.e. There's nothing to be forgotten as far as Tinder is concerned.

            • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              It doesn't work that way. If Tinder presents data from the database, it has to respond to legitimate requests not to show it. Same as Google does, even though it is getting the data from other websites.

              • by sabri ( 584428 )

                It doesn't work that way. If Tinder presents data from the database, it has to respond to legitimate requests not to show it.

                It doesn't work that way. The EUSSR does not control the content of a United States operation.

                • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                  Tinder has operations in the EU.

                  • by sabri ( 584428 )

                    Tinder has operations in the EU.

                    Yes, so what? That does not mean that EU laws apply to its U.S. operations. Only to its U.K. operations.

                    Unless you want Chinese laws to apply to all of Google simply because they have a local presence there?

                    Be -very- careful what precedent you want to set because it may apply in ways you don't like.

                    The bottom line is that local regulatations apply locally, and not on operations outside of your jurisdiction. Period.

                    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                      The way the law works either Tinder can operate by the GDPR rules, it can pull out of the EU entirely or it's EU operation can get fined up to 4% of global turnover.

                      It won't pull out because the market is too lucrative. My guess would be they will comply.

                    • by sabri ( 584428 )

                      GDPR

                      Ah yes, GDPR. The reason why half of the U.S. based websites are made unreadable to EUSSR's users because of their perceived extrajudicial reach.

                      I remember when Congress passed the "invade The Hague" act. All of the EUSSR was screaming and ranting, wondering of Congress could pass such a law.

                      At least the U.S. Congress was elected democratically. Can't say that about the EU.

                    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                      Websites can easily avoid displaying those annoying requests simply by not wanting the protected information. If all they use are essential cookies then a small note says "we use essential cookies" somewhere on the page is the only thing needed.

              • If Tinder presents data from the database, it has to respond to legitimate requests not to show it.

                For that scenario to work someone would have to make a specific request to Tinder NOT to use the data on them.
                At which point Tinder simply brings up the EULA and goes something like...
                "Well, shee here, pal... it shaysh right heresh you ish gonna opt-in into our little whorehoushe... no onesh makin ya... and we can jusht shay to you to go greashe a hole in a fenshe and try fuckin that if yoush don't like whatsh were offerin heresh. Ya falla?
                Good! Shplendind! Now! Whatshith gonna be? You gonna shit on the fen

                • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                  No, it doesn't work like that. Once Tinder agrees to process their personal information it has certain obligations, which include correcting it if it is incorrect and removing it under the right to be forgotten. No EULA or ToS or anything like that can override those rights.

                  • Tinder's relationship with it's users is strictly contractual.
                    I.e. They just slap the user with a new EULA and options to "accept" or "fuck off".
                    Whether they do it for everyone, randomly or only when someone's details raise a red flag after pinging a third party database... doesn't really matter.

                    No one is entitled to Tinder's services.
                    It's not in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights NOR is it enshrined in any constitution or law.
                    It is regulated by a contract. And whoever doesn't like it can simply fuck

        • How's that American century working out?
    • ...why do you assume that is "like most" here?
    • Why would you not get to be punished for all that any man ever has done wrong? Surely you must have done something, like be a male, perhaps white even, and born too.
  • often times, you don't even need a last time to find some details

    Assuming "time" is supposed to be "name", how does this work? Is it in conjunction with a photo for people who are on social media?

    Somehow I doubt it is possible to put "Bob" into a public records database and get anything meaninful.

  • by PPH ( 736903 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @04:46PM (#61162366)

    ... already covered this [youtube.com].

  • by jaa101 ( 627731 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @05:01PM (#61162408)

    Aren't they going to be hit with defamation suits for the inevitable false positives? I guess they'll just update their terms of service so that users are forced to waive their rights in this respect.

  • by Otis B. Dilroy III ( 2110816 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @05:11PM (#61162436)
    Men (and normal women) need to start a web site that warns people about women who hate men because some man that they don't know did something to some women that they also don't know, a long way from them and long in the far past.
  • Is it women finding out about men or can either gender find out about their prospective date ?

  • by b0s0z0ku ( 752509 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @05:17PM (#61162476)
    Anyone who's smart will just use a cash-paid burner phone for their dating/social media profiles ... a good background check is a blank check :) Plus, it cuts down on unwanted contact after bad dates.
  • Watch how outists will report hot guys on web site. I am grabbing popcorn.
  • Warning! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by systemd-anonymousd ( 6652324 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @05:57PM (#61162610)

    "Swipe with caution! This user has a well below-average social media presence. This could be an indication that he's using a false alias. The primary reason for doing this while also using Tinder is to avoid background checks or hide misconduct. Though not conclusive, you should use caution. Swipe again to confirm your match."

  • by Otis B. Dilroy III ( 2110816 ) on Monday March 15, 2021 @07:42PM (#61162948)
    From the site

    We Accept Your Evidence
    One of Garbo’s data sources is you. Anyone will be able to submit their evidence.

    No Last Names Required
    In most cases, all you need to search is just a first name and phone number.

    I hope this womyn gets sued into anonymity.
  • What could possibly go wrong? And seriously, why wouldnâ(TM)t they include those for women as well? I would definitely want to know about the multiple restraining orders against somebody I met on tinder. And maybe a credit check. And their Covid vaccine status. And have they ever got meds for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, HIV or a host of other disorders before. Iâ(TM)m Actually getting very enthusiastic. I mean, I canâ(TM)t get dates now, but this would make everyone else not get
  • "You like dangerous men? Well here's my Garbo score to prove ir. Roll the dice baby."

    Talk about the ultimate Alpha-male signal.

    Probably even more useful for Grindr.

    On a side note, why on earth has Tinder not integrated the app with any hotels?

  • Most violence in relationships is psychological and vast majority of psychological violence is Female on Male violence. Do we really trust a background service that is founded by females? Especially by someone who survived gender violence. My sympathies are for the party who did not survive that encounter. What we really need is a Crazy Bitch registry like the Sex offenders registry to register people male or female who mentally torture their partners.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • by ghoul ( 157158 )
        Just look at the statistics for suicide. Men in relationships commit them in much larger numbers. Emotional violence can kill you just as easily as physical violence.
  • In communist China, you get a "social score" on how well you behave yourself.

    In the west, private companies will do that for you.

    Of course, the system is perfectly safe from any abuse. No way will unhappy dumped girlfriends add their ex as a predator, or women who were rejected by a guy (yes, that happens). Revenge porn isn't a thing as well, right?

    Definitely one of those "what could possibly go wrong?" projects.

    Not that I don't think the core idea is good. An option to check if the person you're getting in

  • The first false negative that gets someone assaulted will shut this all down.
  • The secret cancel dossier.

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