Yoel Roth: From Twitter’s Safety Chief to Cleaning Up Your Dating Apps

Yoel Roth: Navigating the World of Online Dating Safety

In the aftermath of a tumultuous departure from Twitter in November 2022, Yoel Roth has spent the last 16 months piecing his life back together. Despite initial praise from Elon Musk, Roth found himself the target of relentless harassment, fueled in part by Musk’s own inflammatory accusations.

A New Chapter at Match Group

Roth has now taken on a new role as the Chief Trust and Safety Officer at Match Group, a company that owns and operates a diverse array of dating apps, including Match, Tinder, Hinge, The League, OKCupid, BLK, Archer, Azar, and Chispa. With a PhD dissertation focused on the intersection of gay culture, identity, and safety on location-based dating apps like Grindr, Roth brings a wealth of expertise to his new position.

Tackling Toxic Behavior on Dating Apps

While discussions about online moderation often center around open social platforms, toxic behavior is also prevalent on dating apps, where most interactions occur in private chats. Scammers and fraudsters have long exploited these platforms, and combating them is an ongoing challenge. Roth reveals that Match Group removes approximately 44 spam accounts every minute across its apps, highlighting the scale of the problem.

There’s never a mission-accomplished moment when it comes to spam or scams or fraud. They are persistent threats that every social media platform has to deal with.

Protecting Marginalized Groups and Underage Users

Roth emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between universal resources and differentiation within Match Group’s portfolio of apps. While some users are comfortable being public about their identities and desires, others may be more reticent, particularly those who are part of marginalized communities or live in countries where homosexuality is stigmatized.

Protecting underage users is another critical concern. While Match Group’s apps are intended for adults, Roth acknowledges that underage individuals may attempt to access these platforms. He suggests that app stores like Apple and Google could play a more significant role in age assurance and verification, as they have access to additional information, such as payment card details and device data.

Shared Responsibility for User Safety

When it comes to ensuring users’ physical safety, Roth believes it is a shared responsibility across the ecosystem. He cites a recent case in Colombia where criminals targeted individuals on dating apps, highlighting the need for collaboration between app developers, law enforcement, and other stakeholders.

The Future of Dating Apps

Despite the challenges, Roth remains optimistic about the role of dating apps in helping people find meaningful connections. He met his own husband through an app and believes that these platforms are designed to be deleted once users have found what they are looking for.

Our business model fundamentally is about offering people tools to find connections, and that is going to look very different for people at different points in their life.

As a parting piece of advice, Roth encourages users to embrace their quirks and unique personality traits, as these are the qualities that will help them find the perfect match.

Updated 3/11/2024, 10:25 am ET: We’ve updated the story to clarify that criminals in Colombia are reportedly targeting people on dating apps generally, but not on Hinge, which doesn’t operate in the country.