CANBERRA, July 5 (Xinhua) — Dating app companies have pledged to do more to protect Australian users under the government’s new online safety code.
Michelle Rowland, minister for Communications, and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth on Friday announced that the companies that own and operate Australia’s most popular dating apps have agreed to adopt the voluntary code.
Under the code, any user who is banned from one dating app will have their accounts terminated across all platforms owned by the same company.
The industry has committed to implement systems to detect incidents of online-enabled harm and prominent, clear and transparent complaint and reporting mechanisms as well as improve engagement with Australian law enforcement.
“Online dating is now the most common way to meet a partner in Australia. These services did not develop overnight, and the lack of action over the last decade means that regulation has not kept pace with technology,” Rowland said in a statement.
A report published by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) in February found that 12.4 percent of Australian dating app users have been asked by fellow users to facilitate child sexual exploitation.
A separate AIC report published in 2022 found that 75 percent of users had been subjected to sexual violence facilitated via dating apps in the previous five years.
The government in September 2023 issued the industry with an ultimatum to improve safety for users with a voluntary code or face greater regulation.
Rowland and Rishworth said on Friday that a new body will be established to administer the code.
After nine months of the code’s operation, the eSafety Commissioner will assess its effectiveness and advise the government on its adequacy.
