Online dating has transformed how we connect, but at what cost? Tragic cases like Warriena Wright, Samantha Stewart, and Grace Millane prove that dating apps can also become dangerous hunting grounds. It’s time for companies like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and OkCupid to put user safety first by implementing background checks and preventing predators from swiping right.  

💔 The Stories Behind the Swipe

When Warriena Wright matched with a man on Tinder, she expected a fun night out. Instead, it was the end of her life. Hours later, she fell 14 stories to her death after Gable Tostee kidnapped her and wouldn’t let her leave his apartment. Gable was a man with a troubling past but Warriena had no way to unearth his dark history.

When Samantha Stewart, a 29-year-old nurse from Queens, met Danueal Drayton through a dating app, she believed she was meeting a trustworthy person. Instead, she was found beaten and strangled. Danueal was later linked to multiple dating-app assaults across the country.

When Grace Millane, a 21-year-old from the UK, met Jesse Kempson while traveling, she could never have known that he had a violent history with other women from Tinder. He was so confident that after he murdered Grace, kept her remains in his hotel room, and continued using dating apps to meet more women the following day.

These women’s stories are heartbreaking reminders of what happens when dating platforms fail to protect their users.

⚠️ The Bigger Problem

In an era where online dating has revolutionized the way we form relationships, user safety must come first. Major dating app companies like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and OkCupid generate billions of dollars annually. With that success comes a responsibility, a duty, to ensure that their platforms are safe from predators.

Alarming reports continue to reveal just how unsafe online dating has become. A 2024 study by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that 73% of nearly 10,000 participants experienced some form of sexual harassment, aggression, or violence while using dating apps. A staggering number that highlights the scope of the problem.

The issue isn’t isolated to one country. A 2023 Pew Research Center study showed that nearly half of online daters in the U.S. have experienced at least one unwanted behavior, such as receiving sexually suggestive messages, persistent unwanted contact off the app, or being subjected to offensive or abusive language.

Earlier Pew data from 2021 painted an even more disturbing picture, the harassment on these platforms doesn't just stop at verbal harassment, it is often severe and escalating, including stalking, physical threats, and sexual harassment and assault.

Among those surveyed, 6% reported being threatened with physical harm multiple times, and about half of American online daters said they do not feel safe using dating platforms at all.

These numbers aren’t just statistics, they’re evidence of a system failing to protect millions of people who simply want to connect. The message is clear: dating apps have a safety crisis, and it’s time for these billion-dollar companies to take responsibility. 

💡 The Solution

These companies have the technology, data, and financial power to prevent predators from exploiting their platforms.

We are calling on them to:

• Implement background checks (or equivalent systems) to detect individuals with histories of violence or sexual assault before they can create profiles.
• Verify user identities and IP addresses to prevent banned offenders from simply creating new accounts.
• Establish clear reporting systems that connect app-based reports to law enforcement when appropriate.
• Work with lawmakers to develop safety standards and ensure accountability.

Some argue that background checks compromise privacy  but user safety should never be negotiable. Filtering out potential threats will create safer spaces, increase user trust, and strengthen the credibility of these platforms in the long run. 

✍️ Join the Movement

We urge these tech giants to take immediate action. They have the means to stop predators before another tragedy happens but they must choose to act and take care of their consumers.

Sign this petition to demand that dating-app companies take responsibility, implement background checks, and make user safety their top priority.

Together, we can send a message loud and clear:

🛑Stop letting predators swipe right.🛑

This is a sponsored petition. Learn more here.