Dating app background and ID checks being considered in bid to fight abuse

Background checks and ID verification systems in dating apps are among the measures being considered as governments around the country grapple with how to keep people safe while they are looking for love online.

The strategies were discussed by ministers, victim-survivors, authorities and technology companies as part of national dating app roundtable talks in Sydney on Wednesday.

Dating apps were also put on notice by the eSafety Comissioner, Julie Inman Grant, who warned none were up to her safety standards and that they needed to make major improvements or they would face a mandatory code.

She said platforms needed to be transparent about how many people were being abused so the government could get a handle on the scale of the problem.

The commissioner would be issuing notices to all platforms demanding greater sharing of data, collaboration between platforms on safety measures and roadmaps for how they planned to deal with users who reappear on apps and reoffend.

Rowland said complaint handling by apps was a key area of concern.

The federal social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, said people with lived experiences of app-enabled abuse and violence needed to be at the centre of discussions to stop perpetrators.

Teach Us Consent founder, Chanel Contos, called on dating app companies to invest in educating the public about respectful relationships and consent.

Federal, state and territory attorneys general will now be asked to look at the issues and consider criminal justice response as a matter of priority.

A recent study from the Australian Institute of Criminology found three-quarters of survey respondents had been subjected to sexual violence on dating apps in the last five years.

A Bumble spokesperson said the company was looking forward to working with others to improve safety for women on and off the platform.