Tinder adds a 'panic' button for people to use when dates get dangerous

Creators of Tinder, the digital dating app, will roll out a new update to its platform Tuesday, allowing users to use a "panic button" in case a date goes awry.

What are the details?

The update, which will feature as a new section of the app called the "Safety Center," will also allow users to check in at certain locations so that their friends can track them.

Match, the company that owns Tinder, says that the move is to encourage and promote safety in online dating.

The panic button function, according to CNN, will contact dispatchers from Noonlight, a safety platform that Tinder previously invested in. Those dispatchers will contact the user via text and phone call if necessary. If the user doesn't respond, Noonlight will dispatch emergency services to the user's location.

The outlet reported that the online dating giant will also test a new update, which features a photo verification tool to ensure that users are actually communicating with a real, live person. The new update is expected to roll out later in 2020.

Engadget reported that users will have to share their real-time location data with the Noonlight app in order to use the feature. The company insists that the user's personal information will not be shared for marketing purposes. Additionally, users who utilize the safety feature will also be publicly flagged as opting in — which Engadget reports is to "act as a deterrent to any bad actors on the [dating] platform."

Mandy Ginsberg, who is the company's group chief, told the Wall Street Journal,that there's always a possibility that a user could inadvertently trigger a false alarm.

"The false positives, believe me, we took them into account," Ginsberg said. "If someone doesn't respond, worst case someone shows up and knocks on the door. It's not the worst thing in the world."