Finding a date is never easier, thanks to dating apps. But there is one big issue.
With apps, people literally hide behind their screens, meaning that the initial communication is never done face-to-face. Bumble, an online dating and networking app, profiles potential matches to be displayed to users, who can "swipe left" to reject a candidate or "swipe right" to indicate interest.
The company is revising its community guidelines, in order to make its users more secure and safe.
Alongside Bumble for Friends and Badoo, the revised guidelines crack down on behaviors, like ghosting, by considering two people agreeing to meet up and one of them flaking without contact, an act of bullying and abusive.
Bumble also considers doxing, which is the malicious sharing of personal identifying information, an act of online bullying.
Additionally, Bumble also prohibits any attempts to use bots to artificially influence connections, matching, conversations, or any other engagement through automation or scripting.
Policies against victim-blaming and promotion of adult content, including attempts to sell, advertise, or buy adult content, are included as well.
Users who exhibit these behaviors may be banned from the Bumble platforms.
To ensure that users follow the rules, Bumble said that it's utilizing an AI model developed by Bumble's own Trust and Safety Collective.
Bumble has been deploying machine-learning technology to some extent for a few years, to enforce its Community Guidelines, like to detect messages and images that violate the rules, like harassment and identity-based hate, according to the press release.
According to Bumble, this proactive approach has already resulted in the blocking of over 8.2 million accounts in 2023 alone.
The updated community guidelines aimed at improving user experiences across its platforms.
This strategic move underscores Bumble's commitment to creating a safe, genuine, and enjoyable online environment.
This way, Bumble aims to make its apps a better place for meeting new people, which can extend to real-life meetups
"By holding our members accountable for their actions, it creates more accountable digital spaces and behavior. We want to help people feel connected and less lonely, and safer spaces lead to better connections," said founder and CEO of Bumble, Whitney Wolfe Herd.
"Our latest Community Guidelines are grounded in our values of kindness, safety, inclusivity, and respect and reflect our efforts to curb bad behaviors both on and off our platforms," Wolfe Herd continued.
"Our goal is that these updates bring us one step closer to our overarching mission to create a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable, so we can help combat loneliness."