Bumble removed an alt-right man’s dating profile, and good riddance
In the world of online dating, so many things can go wrong. And it’s no secret that dating apps have their fair share of jerks. But luckily, the dating app Bumble is making the online dating realm safer by ensuring that white supremacists aren’t among the list of potential dates.
Bumble is well known for taking a feminist approach to dating. Women initiate conversations with people they match with, and the app reportedly goes to great lengths to delete any serial harassers, cheaters, or abusers and has even banned one user for fat-shaming. That’s why, when Twitter user Lindsey Ledford noticed a profile claiming to belong to noted alt-right activist Jack Posobiec, she was confused. Posobiec is also married, making his presence on a dating site all the more suspect.
Posobiec gained notoriety for being a proponent of the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, in which alt-right internet users claimed that a Washington, D.C. pizza shop was the site of a sex abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton and her campaign team. In the profile uploaded to Bumble, Posobiec is described as a “film director” and “aspiring writer.”
Ledford posted screenshots from the profile to Twitter on January 24th, expressing concern that Bumble was allowing white nationalists to create profiles. She tagged the dating app in her post. false
Later, in a DM conversation, a representative from the app promised Ledford they would address the account. false
Bumble later tweeted that the app’s team members had removed the profile, and they thanked Ledford for alerting them to the situation.
We are so grateful to you, Lindsey, for bringing this to our attention. Our team has removed Jack from our platform. Bumble was founded on the core values of kindness, respect, integrity and equality, and we do not tolerate anyone who does not uphold these values on our platform.
— Bumble (@bumble) January 24, 2018
Posobiec denied that the dating profile was legitimate, tweeting that the account was fraudulent. false
But the app told Buzzfeed that Posobiec’s dating profile was linked to his personal Facebook account.
While it’s unclear whether the profile Ledford found really belonged to Posobiec, we applaud her for calling attention to the issue. Dating sites should be safe for everyone, and that means making sure extremist and prejudiced views are not tolerated. We’re glad Bumble listened and did the right thing.