Free dating apps do not screen against sex offender registries at all

Match Group screens users of its paid app Match.com against sex offender registries, but does not extend this screening to its free apps including Plenty of Fish, Tinder's free tier, and OkCupid. PlentyOfFish's terms of service explicitly state it 'does not conduct criminal background or identity verification checks on its users.' A congressional investigation found more than 150 instances of sexual assault involving dating apps, with approximately 10% involving users matched with dates who had previously been accused or convicted of sexual assault. Match Group's partnership with background check startup Garbo ended after only two years due to 'lack of commitment from digital partners.' This matters because the apps with the largest and most vulnerable user bases (free tiers attract younger, lower-income users) have zero screening, while the premium paid app does. The structural reason is that screening costs money per user, free apps are monetized through volume and ad revenue, and adding friction to free signups reduces the user counts that dating companies report to investors.