RNZ – In Australia, an industry code for dating apps has been created to govern how they protect users. Online dating platforms have six months to become compliant with the voluntary code, which will be reviewed in 2026 to determine whether it should become mandatory. Emile Donovan speaks to Emily Heazlewood founder of dating app Amor, about whether a code needs to be established in New Zealand.
Category: All Worldwide (non UK/Euro/US)
A New Industry Code to Protect Dating App Users Has Come Into Force in Australia
SBS NEWS – Australia has introduced a new voluntary industry code for dating apps to protect users from online harassment and violence. Under the new industry code in Australia, dating apps are required to:
- Detect and mitigate potential online harms, including harassment and abuse.
- Take action against offenders by preventing them from creating new accounts or moving to other platforms.
- Establish clear reporting mechanisms for users to report misconduct.
- Preserve data related to sexual assault complaints for collaboration with law enforcement.
- Provide resources and information to support users affected by harassment or abuse.
- Engage more directly with law enforcement to handle serious cases.
The e-Safety Commissioner will review the effectiveness of these measures over a nine-month period.
Rising Financial Scams on Indian Dating Apps Demand Proactive Action
AFAQS – Dating apps in India face a rise in financial scams where women lure men to expensive nightclubs, leaving them with hefty bills. Despite widespread reports, apps like Tinder and Bumble have remained mostly silent. Experts urge dating platforms to be more proactive by addressing the issue openly, providing user education, and implementing stronger safety measures to protect users and maintain trust.
by Yash Bhatia & Ruchika Jha
See full article at AFAQS
Tokyo Launches AI-Powered Dating App to Encourage Marriage Among Residents
SORANEWS24 – Tokyo has launched its official AI-powered dating app, Tokyo Enmusubi, aimed at helping residents find long-term partners. To use the app, residents must pay a registration fee of 11K yen ($74), submit verification documents, and undergo a virtual interview. The app targets serious users and matches people based on compatibility tests. It also provides consultations with staff to assist users throughout the dating process. The app is designed to encourage marriage among Tokyo's residents, addressing the 69.3% who haven't yet taken steps toward finding a partner.
Tinder Launches Consent Education Course for Young Australians
Survey Finds 1 in 4 Young Married Couples in Japan Met Through Dating Apps
Grindr Cooperates With Police After Alleged Homophobic Attacks in Canberra
ABC – Grindr is working with Aussie police to investigate three alleged homophobic attacks in Canberra, where men were reportedly lured by fake profiles, assaulted, and subjected to slurs. The app, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment, has teamed up with Canberra's LGBTQIA+ group Meridian to deliver in-app safety messages. Users are urged to verify identities via video call and meet in public places. Police are also investigating a potential link to a similar incident in New South Wales. In Victoria, police are addressing similar attacks on gay men, stressing vigilance and the importance of user safety.
Dating Apps in India: a Danger for Women
After Modi came to power in 2014, he rolled out the red carpet for tech giants, including Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. Created by and for Americans, they saw a promising market in India: half of the most populous country in the world is under 25 years old and has the fastest growth rate of mobile users. They landed with American products without adapting them to a very complex social fabric, an ancient caste system and patriarchy, and a long history of suppression of women's rights. India is the most dangerous country in the world to be a woman. With the arrival of Modi and these apps, the situation has worsened. Women feel unprotected by the law and authorities. India has the largest gender imbalance in the world: there are more than 63 million 'extra' men.
Match Group entered India in 2014 with Tinder, then Hinge in 2015. Bumble arrived in 2017. When it came to adapting their products to India, all the companies failed.
In early 2014, Jess Carbino, earned her PhD in Psychology & Sociology from UCLA, and became a Sociologist for Tinder. Carbino's 3-person team had the mission to soak up the political and social context of the countries to which the group planned to expand. Sometimes, they traveled to the place. This was not the case in India. The report they prepared for this country included references to the diversity of religions and languages, the caste hierarchy, the high rate of violence against women, and the prevalence of arranged marriages – 90% of weddings in India are agreed between families. "We were fully aware that a disruption was occurring," says Carbino. "And we knew that as the next generations were less corseted by their parents, we could create change."
Hrithik Bhandari was 19 years old when, in 2018, Tinder made him a "campus ambassador" at the National Institute of Technology in Jodhpur. In return, he got a subscription and occasional invitations to events. He walked around with a Tinder t-shirt, giving away merchandise and convincing his mates to join him.
The proof that Match Group was aware of the abuse problems in India is the 'Let's talk about consent' campaign from 2021. A short film showed a young couple. She breaks up because he forces her to have sex when she doesn't want to.
"With a popular culture that has blurred the boundaries of consent for generations, and a society that doesn't recognize the importance of discussing boundaries, modern dating is complex for the country's young people," reads the statement that accompanied the presentation of the film. Campaigns on social networks in 2014 challenged women, portraying them as independent and free young people, but their 'target' had become the men who did not respect them.
Only 1 in 4 crimes against women [in India] end in a conviction, and 95% of the reported cases are still pending processing, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau of India.
The biggest pending task for apps is identity verification, which is limited to contrasting a 'selfie' with profile photos. Criminal record and sexual & violent crimes checks are still pending.
The Indian Penal Code considers any sexual relationship without consent a rape, a serious crime. The problem is the definition of consent: being in the same room as the aggressor is often equated with giving permission to be intimate. People Against Rape in India helps survivors take their cases to court. "Society, even the authorities, do not feel sorry for the victim," says its founder, Yogita Bhayana.
by Irene Benedicto
See full article at El Periodico
Mark Brooks: Here is another excellent video by Tinder India on boundaries and permission, with 1.6m views. And another with 1.3M views. I think the underpinnings of any great loving relationship are honesty, respect, and communication. But how on earth do we train this and navigate all the cultural, religious, and psychological complexity? Is it really our irresponsibility? This article raises more questions than answers. It made me realize that perhaps we need a place for more open (yet private) discussion as an industry. Please email me your thoughts at mark@courtlandbrooks.com.
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Teaching Dating Skills in India
EL PERIODICO – "Everyone fibs on dating apps: men say they want to get married and women say they don't," says Mark Brooks, a well-known dating [industry] guru. With his team of 26 experts, he has advised 100+ companies in the sector on both sides of the ocean although he met his wife the old-fashioned way, through a friend of a friend. There's a lack of sexual education [in India]. Mumbai-based psychologist Tanya Nagpal is critical of the burgeoning dating coach industry. "The premise is how to get a woman, but not how to really behave in a relationship with that woman," she states. "Dating apps make it much easier for men to find prey, sexual predators," she explains. Men [in India] have a hard time navigating the disruption [dating] apps have caused. Millennials are the first generation to date in India. That's why, she argues, they need education. Educating men will prevent new rapists from growing up.
Japan’s Local Governments Step in to Help Singles Find Love Amid Population Crisis
