Dating App 'Politics' Filter Turned Against Rioters
A dating app has removed – and then replaced – a filter for political views among potential partners. Bumble discovered some users were taking advantage of the filter to "entrap" people involved in the recent breach of the US Capitol.
Bumble is a dating app that works like several others in that it shows users potential matches in their geographic area. If two users both indicate an interest in each other's profile, they can begin communication. However, unlike most such services, with a male-female match, only the woman can initiate contact and begin an exchange of messages.
Users can filter the matches that they see through several criteria, including stated political views. Recently several female users posted on social media to claim they or people they knew had taken advantage of this feature for non-dating reasons.
FBI Contacted
The users reportedly set their political view to "Conservative" and then used the filtered results to match with male users showing strong right-wing views in their profiles. They then initiated contact with the male users, apparently indicating they shared the views.
Perhaps inevitably some male users aiming to show the strength of their feelings (either politically or "romantically") began sharing photographs or videos of themselves taking part in the breach of the Capitol. The female users then shared the material with the FBI, which had previously asked for any digital evidence.
Filter Temporarily Removed
Around a week after the first such reports, Bumble announced that "We've temporarily removed our politics filter to prevent misuse. However, please rest assured that we prohibit any content that promotes terrorism or racial hatred, and we've already removed any users that have been confirmed as participants in the attack of the US Capitol." (Source: theverge.com)
Bumble now says it restored the function within 24 hours of removing it. It also says it has blocked members who have used the app to "spread insurrectionist content." The company hasn't said why it quickly reversed the decision, though it appears it received complaints both from those who found the politics filter genuinely useful and those who thought the company was protecting people involved in the breach. (Source: bbc.co.uk)
What's Your Opinion?
Was Bumble right to remove the filter in these circumstances? Was it appropriate for women to use the app in this way? Should dating apps have political viewpoint filters in the first place?
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Comments
Good!
Any idiot that memorializes their crime by recording it and then shares the video online gets no sympathy from me.
dating app
Probably put back because the FBI told them to so as stated by the last poster to catch idiots that post illegal stuff they do online by boasting to bait women!
Political filters are targeting conservative thought
It is interesting that these techniques, and the Twitter/Facebook/Amazon blockings are being used only against conservative perspectives. It's called censorship, and it does not bode well for freedom of speech.
Conservative viewpoints
I often wonder how long this "protect against racial hatred" baloney will continue? if a Conservative says "e/she is a good black person." that is "racial hatred, but when Joe Biden says "You ain't black if you don't vote for me." it is considered racial explanation. the truth is that the social networking businesses have to have customers in order to make money (advertising dollars) and therefore they MUST succumb to whatever the latest PC is out there. this is true for ANY business and therefore it is NOT surprising to see the business world calling for censorship of the "right" in today's world. we all knew it was coming the minute the Democrat nominees were announced. it will not change until the conservative base starts to realize it MUST vote its own into office to stop this kind of PC BS.
Wrong forum
Great post, but I can't see what it has to do with the topic of discussion.
pertinent to topic?
Hi Navy Vet.
actually, I was trying to amplify the comment from doulog who mentioned the techniques used against conservatives and how it appears to be censorship.
in this topic of discussion, the item referred to Bumble's very poor excuse for putting the "politics filter" back on because "It also says it has blocked members who have used the app to "spread insurrectionist content.""
I think that statement by and of itself is indicative of the control that the PC regulars exert on all businesses. it may not be pertinent to whether "Was Bumble right to remove the filter in these circumstances? Was it appropriate for women to use the app in this way? Should dating apps have political viewpoint filters in the first place?", but it was meant to convey the fact that this kind of action is aimed against conservative ideas.
OK
Sorry, I get it now.