Making online dating safer

Online dating apps are the most popular way for Australians to meet new people, socialise and even spark up a romantic relationship or friendship.

Many of us know couples whose story began on apps like Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony, or have friends who like to share their online dating anecdotes.

While these experiences can be positive and meaningful, not everyone who uses online dating apps has good intentions.

The Australian Institute of Criminology found three in four Australians have been subject to technology-facilitated abuse through dating apps.

This may be sexual harassment – which is sexual violence – to unwanted comments and persistent comments, sharing explicit unsolicited and unwanted images through to actual life threats.

The majority – but not all – of these victims are women.

We know technology can be used as a tool to facilitate family, domestic and gender-based violence.

This is unacceptable and it has to end.

The Albanese Government wants to see that dating apps – and indeed all online spaces – are safe places for Australians to connect.

We must foster online communities where everyone is treated equally, and with respect.

In 2023, we brought together major dating apps through the National Roundtable for Online Dating Safety.

The first of its kind, the Roundtable included regulators, law enforcement agencies, advocates and victim-survivor groups.

Together we discussed how dating apps could be made safer.

We asked the dating app industry what more could be done to protect their users, and to collaborate on an Australia-first industry code for dating apps.

The aim was to collectively improve safety policies, practices and transparency, engage law enforcement and support at-risk users.

Encouragingly, all major online dating service providers operating in Australia are on board: Hinge, Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, RSVP, eHarmony, MeetMe and Zoosk.

The eSafety Commissioner has advised Government that the code substantially meets the terms of our request and is fit-for-purpose at this time.

The code commenced on October 1.

What this means is that industry will be held accountable for putting in place the mechanisms to act against harm and violence against Australians coming from their services.

This means taking actions against users who are found to have violated online safety policies. This includes terminating their accounts and having clear, prominent and transparent complaints mechanisms.

Dating apps have also agreed to provide users with clear guidance on how they are meeting their commitments under the code.

And importantly, it will require the companies to speak with at-risk communities, to ensure the concerns of Australians are heard and lead to positive changes.

The code supports the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The Plan is guiding us as we - at all levels of government - work to end gender-based violence in one generation.

At this juncture, it is pleasing to see some developments.

But this is not set and forget. The eSafety Commissioner will assess the effectiveness of the code in July next year. If it is not, we will not hesitate to take further action.

In the meantime, people who use dating apps can rest assured that the Albanese Government is taking all the necessary steps to keep them safe from online harms.