Match Group, the parent company behind Tinder, Hinge, and other major dating platforms, is now facing a shareholder lawsuit alleging that the company ignored reports of sexual violence, allowing repeat offenders to remain active on its apps. The legal action was filed just before Match Group’s recent earnings call, where CEO Spencer Rascoff highlighted growth and revenue gains, particularly on Hinge.
The lawsuit references an in-depth investigation led by the Pulitzer Center, The Markup, and The Guardian, which found that Match Group’s internal safety system – called Sentinel – had been logging reports of assault and other safety breaches since 2019. By 2022, these reports were being received in the hundreds each week.
One particularly troubling case involves a Colorado cardiologist, Stephen Matthews, who continued to appear on the apps despite multiple user reports. The lawsuit claims he remained active on Match Group platforms until his arrest in early 2023 for the drugging and assault of multiple women.
The complaint argues that Match Group prioritized growth and investor appeal over user safety, failing to act on known risks and withholding transparency. It alleges a breach of fiduciary duty and seeks legal reforms alongside restitution, including reductions in executive compensation and improvements in governance and safety protocols.
Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, it’s highly lightly that the company will end up overhauling its approach to user safety, and most likely also need to offer more transparency going forward. Notably, this may not be a problem exclusive to Match Group, but an issue with larger dating platforms as a whole that needs to be addressed before users decide to cut their losses with potentially dangerous platforms – both to ensure proper user safety and to ensure that users are able to report safety risks reliably.
