Dating app Bumble has changed its 'unmatch' feature afterwards a Hack and Four Corners investigation uncovered sexual predators are using it to erase evidence and avert accountability.

The unmatch function was created to requite dating app users the power to delete people who they feel dangerous talking to and automatically deletes their conversation history.

Merely the Four Corners and Hack investigation found a pattern of sex offenders using the characteristic on Tinder to block their victims afterwards a rape to delete whatever trace of their prior communication.

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A triple j Hack callout discovered the unmatch characteristic was also being used by offenders on other pop dating apps like Hinge and Bumble.

"Bumble is changing how it'southward "unmatch" feature works in an effort to better prioritize user rubber," a spokeswoman told Hack.

"This new alter will mean that Bumble users who take been unmatched with are now more than easily able to report users who may accept acted inappropriately."

Bumble has said it'southward the beginning dating app to market with this update.

Instead of automatically erasing the conversation history, if a Bumble user gets unmatched past a perpetrator, they at present have the selection to retrieve the chat.

"As part of this new update, when ane user unmatches with another, the lucifer and chat will disappear for the person who does the unmatching," a Bumble spokeswoman said.

"For the person who has been unmatched with, the conversation but becomes greyed out in their Conversation Screen."

Bumble'southward new characteristic also notifies users when they've been unmatched and gives them an pick to report unsafe behaviour.

"If there were no issues with the chat, the user who was unmatched can but opt to delete the chat with the pick to remove this detail conversation from their inbox," a spokeswoman said.

"But if the user had been interim inappropriately in violation of Bumble'due south rules, the person who has been unmatched volition now accept the chance to report the other user more hands -- even though the user disappeared and tin no longer be directly messaged.

"This change preserves the conversation history then it can still be escalated to review if necessary."

Bumble said the new feature is now available to Australian users.

Young woman looking at camera against a background of Tinder profiles.

'A footstep in the right management'

Dr Rosalie Gillett has researched women's rubber on Tinder at the Queensland University of Engineering science and told Hack that the motility is a "step in the right direction" for improving user safety.

"I remember that information technology's peradventure something that they should have done quite some time ago, just at least it shows us that they're listening to users' concerns, and that they're trying to make the platform a meliorate identify for users."

Along with improving the unmatch function, Dr Gillett said Bumble and other dating apps need to improve the dating culture on their platforms, and reply to complaints of sexual harassment or abuse more adequately.

"They need to exist enforcing their terms of service. And while it might be nifty that they have changed this unmatch feature, they then demand to be responding to user reports."

Dr Michael Salter, the Scientia Associate Professor of Criminology at UNSW welcomed the change but said information technology was disappointing that the flawed unmatch office was able to exist on Bumble in the showtime place.

"It shouldn't be incumbent on users or the media to flag design flaws."

Dr Salter said more safe measures - like compulsory identity and age verification features - were needed across dating apps.

"Until there is that level of accountability, where all accounts are straight connected to a known user who's been able to substantiate their identity to a very high standard, we are going to see these platforms misused by offenders who are looking to harm others in a premeditated manner."

Tinder'due south unmatch function remains unchanged

In Oct, NSW Police told Hack and Four Corners that they would adopt if dating apps didn't take systems assuasive perpetrators to block their victims.

Match Group, Tinder's parent visitor, changed a number of its condom policies following the Four Corners and triple j Hack investigation including updating its reporting functions.

The company did non say if it has overhauled Tinder's problematic unmatch function, despite the investigation revealing that predators are using the tool to erase evidence and avoid accountability.

Lucifer Group assured users that the company is able to recollect messages if an abusive user unmatches their victim.

Bumble was started past quondam VP of marketing at Tinder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, after she filed a lawsuit against the visitor for sexual harassment. It'southward i of the few major dating apps which isn't owned past Match Group - the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish amidst many others.

Bumble is 1 of Tinder'south biggest rivals and reportedly generated $240 million in revenue terminal year.

Watch Tinder: A predators' playground on iview here.

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