Marshmallo has emerged as a new online dating option that places safety and security as its top priority. Using an identity verification program called Persona, Marshmallo helps users avoid “getting burned” by shifty would-be suitors.
“We are the first dating app backed by bank-grade financial technology for amplified safety,” says Marshmallo CEO Andrew Hendel.
Online safety with dating apps
According to RAINN, there are 40 million people using online dating services or dating apps at any given time. In the past, it has been the responsibility of the user to vet their choices and decide how to keep themselves safe, despite known instances of criminals and sex offenders utilizing dating apps — sometimes for the express purpose of finding their next victims. Dating apps of old did not utilize any level of background check or identity verification programs in order to keep users safe, but were instead largely based on trust.
Catfishing — the act of luring someone into a relationship by pretending to be someone else — became such a prominent issue that it was made into a popular documentary, followed by an entire television series. These perpetrators have only been aided by the lax oversight of some dating apps.
Additionally, harassment and “trolling” are regular occurrences on dating apps, with people consistently messaging someone even if that person has indicated they are not interested in talking, meeting, or dating. Marshmallo addresses these issues with its security-first stance.
“We verify people’s government-issued photo IDs to prevent catfishing and deter bad people from joining,” says Hendel. “Furthermore, we exclude registered sex offenders and we limit unreciprocated messages to prevent harassment.”
The negative impact of online dating security issues can be widely felt, with some feeling uncomfortable with online dating due to the number of high-profile cases of stalking, catfishing, financial fraud — or worse. Those who experience security breaches, stalking, or catfishing could easily have post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, or anxiety as a result of these instances.
Marshmallo is enhancing users’ online safety
When you set out to find someone to date, you don’t want to be immediately worried about all of the bad things that could happen. Marshmallo is removing the barriers to real connection.
When signing up for Marshmallo, the first thing the program does is take a picture of the person’s government-issued ID using the same verification process as banks to ensure people are who they say they are, making it the first free dating app or social network to verify every user’s identity. Users then take a selfie, which is matched to the photo ID to further verify their identity.
Marshmallo doesn’t stop at photo ID verification, however. They also conduct extensive checks on each user, analyzing over 700,000 names in over 300 databases to ensure that users are not sexual predators or criminals.
According to the FBI, 1 in 10 sex offenders have an online dating profile. Other popular dating sites do not check sex offender registries before allowing people to sign up for their services, instead leaving it up to the user to assess whether or not a potential match could be safe, which can have dire consequences.
The rise of AI technology has helped Marshmallo create its secure dating platform by using AI to verify that profile pictures match users’ government-issued IDs. The app has also eliminated the problem of people who message users non-stop, whether to harass them or simply because they can’t take “no” for an answer. With Marshmallo, users can only be messaged once, and if they do not respond to the message, the original sender cannot send another message.
Privacy is the highest priority for Marshmallo, which is why users only share their first initial with others until a confirmed match has been made. Users’ last names are never revealed.
Protecting users’ privacy in the modern dating scene
It can be difficult to use and enjoy online dating apps if you’re worried about your own privacy and personal safety. But Marshmallo has addressed this issue head-on by doing what the other apps won’t.
Currently, there are over 1,500 dating apps in existence. Hendel and his team know they have set themselves apart with Marshmallo, and are excited to see how their safe and secure app can help people make connections they can trust.
“Marshmallo is different,” Hendel explains. “Other dating apps have lots of fake accounts that can harm users in a variety of ways. People can be endangered by meeting an unvetted stranger or scammed out of money, and some people create fake accounts just to mess with others. The most benign harm — albeit still a disappointing one — is meeting somebody who doesn’t look like their photos. Marshmallo protects its users from all these forms of potential abuse.”
