Bumble Introduces ID Verification To Make Online Dating Safer

Bumble is doubling down on safety tools, including a feature that verifies a user’s identification, as a way to enhance trust and drive user growth. The new optional ID verification will add special badges to the profiles of users who’ve confirmed their identity via government-issued ID cards. The platform previously had a verification tool that allowed users to take a selfie to confirm their identity, but this takes it to the next level. The tool is available in 11 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

It comes at a time when other social networks are grappling with age verification, including whether to require minors to provide official government IDs as proof of age. At the same time, Bumble is looking to boost its user growth, following dips in quarterly revenue for the second half of last year. The company also gave a lower than expected first quarter forecast last month.

The new verification tool also serves as another way for the platform to cut down on issues like catfishing. Bumble has long displayed the current location of users on profiles so people can verify that matches are in the same area they claim to be.

Verification isn’t required

While Bumble is not requiring users to go through the ID verification process, those who do will receive the badge on their profiles, and people can decide to filter through that group to find potential matches. Meanwhile, the company is also adding a new feature called Share My Date that lets users share details of their plans with trusted friends and family.

Bumble said the changes reflect results from a recently conducted survey that found 3 in 4 daters believe that feeling secure is key when picking a dating app. Beyond safety, the company is also introducing a Discover page with a user’s most compatible matches, which includes dating intentions, similar interests and shared communities.

Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor at the University of Arizona who closely follows the online dating world, told CNET the effort could indeed encourage people who may have been reluctant before to try online dating.

“Safety is often a big concern in online dating, and ID verification will let people feel more confident that the people they’re talking to are real,” she said. “This matters now more than ever given recent advances in AI, which can make it even more difficult to tell who’s on the other side of the screen.”