Dallas-headquartered Match Group has invested in and partnered with Noonlight, a “first-of-its-kind” connected safety platform and mobile app, according to a statement. The partnership with Noonlight allows online daters to trigger an alarm by clicking a single button when they feel unsafe.
Match Group—the parent company of Match, Tinder, OKCupid, Hinge, and several other dating apps—is working to provide its users with safe online dating experiences through its partnership with Noonlight. Formerly known as SafeTrek, Noonlight calls itself a first-of-its-kind safety company providing emergency response services and other personal safety products.
Match Group brands will use Noonlight’s tech to power new safety features, including tools for emergency assistance, location tracking, photo verification, and a date check-in feature, which allows users to notify friends and family of their plans while on a date scheduled through a Match Group dating site.
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Tinder plans to roll out some of the new features on January 28, including the Noonlight Timeline feature, photo verification, a harassment detection prompt powered by machine learning, and a revamped in-app Tinder Safety Center. That also includes a ‘panic button’ that can alert authorities if something goes awry.
The Tinder Timeline feature will allow users to input details of upcoming dates, including who they are meeting, where they are going, and what time they will meet. While on the date, Noonlight’s tech gives users the ability to trigger a response that discreetly alerts emergency services if they feel their safety may be at risk.
The alert will notify Noonlight’s certified dispatchers who will reach out to check on the user and if needed, to alert emergency responders. The goal is to alert emergency responders without raising suspicion during the date.
Match Group’s partnership with Noonlight is meant to reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to investing in tech that will empower users to keep themselves safe on and offline, according to a statement.
“We’ve found cutting-edge technology in Noonlight that can deliver real-time emergency services—which doesn’t exist on any other dating product—so that we can empower singles with tools to keep them safer and give them more confidence,” Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg said in a statement.
Match Group is the first dating company to invest in an emergency response service, according to a statement, and is expected to join Noonlight’s board of directors.
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Match Group has invested in Garbo, a first-of-its-kind background check platform, to empower people to make more informed decisions and choices about their safety. Garbo's platform will be integrated with Tinder later this year in an effort to aid adversely impacted women and marginalized communities.
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