Tinder Will Now Let You Swipe Right on a Background Check

Tinder is a relatively simple app. Profiles of prospective dates appear. You can swipe left to keep them out of your life or swipe right to explore the possibilities. But what if you’ve selected someone with a criminal past?

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While there are no guarantees in online dating, Tinder is taking steps toward more transparency. The service recently announced that users will soon be able to perform a simple background check on prospective matches before meeting up.

Here’s how it will work. Tinder, like other dating apps, is owned by the Match Group. That company has partnered with Garbo, a service that can fetch personal history information using a first name and telephone number. Public records, including arrests, police reports, restraining orders, and other legal documents, are all available.

Not included in the Garbo checks: Drug offenses and traffic violations. It’s also not currently known whether users will be able to opt out of such checks, though they can refuse to provide their name and phone number to prospective matches. Tinder has said they won’t share such information with Garbo.

Garbo is expected to be up and running on Tinder within the next few months. Match Group services like Match.com and OKCupid.com could follow. Fees for using the service have not been disclosed.