Dating apps are being weaponised by criminals, including alarming rates of revenge porn and sexual extortion, with politicians and police joining forces to stamp it out.
More than three million Australians use dating apps in the hopes of finding love, but too often discover something much darker.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant warns there are dangers in using the apps, particularly for women and gender-diverse people.
There was a more than 600 per cent increase in image-based abuse such as revenge porn during lockdowns.
“Through our own complaints schemes, we have certainly seen this borne out in how dating sites can be weaponised by offenders,” the commissioner told AAP.
“Today, we are dealing with crippling levels of reports about sexual extortion.”
Ms Inman Grant said dating apps needed to take more responsibility for stamping out bad behaviour.
A roundtable meeting on Wednesday will bring together state and federal ministers, dating app representatives and police.
“It’s clear online dating apps and websites must do more to make their platforms and services safer and this roundtable is an important next step in finding solutions to these problems,” Ms Inman Grant said.
The meeting will look at ways to prevent misuse and encourage victims to come forward.
“One of the big problems we see is recidivism, where perpetrators are permanently banned but are still able to create a new account using a different device or email address,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner wants to stop criminals popping up on other platforms to continue to abuse women online.
“This perpetrator information should also be able to be shared with law enforcement agencies and online safety regulators, as appropriate, so investigations can be pursued,” Ms Inman Grant said.
Victoria’s Family Violence Prevention Minister Ros Spence said the state would work to stamp out all forms of sexual violence.
At the meeting, Ms Spence will push for new ways to identify perpetrators and improve online reporting.
“There are no state and territory borders online,” she said.
“This week’s meeting marks the beginning of an important conversation on an issue that clearly requires a consistent, national approach.”
Tinder has launched its dating safety guide in Australia to prevent violence against women and “educate and empower” users, after one in three singles surveyed said they weren’t fully aware of safety features on the dating app.
Three-quarters of respondents to an Australian Institute of Criminology survey reported being subjected to online sexual violence in the past five years.
One in three experienced in-person abuse from someone they met on an app, including incidents of sexual assault or coercion.
Dating app safety in national spotlight
The safety of women will be on the agenda when state and federal ministers sit down with police and dating app representatives.
DATING APP SAFETY ROUNDTABLE
ON THE AGENDA:
- Preventing exploitation of online dating services
- Supporting users who experience harm
- Empowering users with safe online dating practices
- Efforts to improve online dating safety
WHO IS GOING:
- Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant
- Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin and Australian Institute of Criminology deputy director Rick Brown
INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES:
- Match Group executives Jared Sine and Buddy Loomis
- Bumble public policy expert Mahima Kaul
- Grindr senior staff Alice Hunsberger and Kelly Miranda
- Jenny Duxbury from the Digital Industry Group
STATE AND TERRITORY REPRESENTATIVES:
- NSW ministers Bronnie Taylor and Natalie Ward
- Victorian minister Ros Spence and Queensland’s Leeanne Enoch
- Western Australian minister Sabine Winton and victims of crime commissioner Kati Kraszlan
- SA minister Katrine Hildyard, Yvette Berry from the ACT and Kate Worden from the NT
- Tasmanian senior public servant Courtney Hurworth
NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS:
- Katherine Berney from National Women’s Safety Alliance
- Rachael Burgin from Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy
- Chanel Contos from Teach Us Consent
- Libbi Cunnington from Women With Disabilities Australia
- Hayley Foster and Tara Hunter from Full Stop Australia
- Krista Seddon from Our Watch
- Kathryn Fordyce from National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence
