Social media app launches new dating feature
MANILA, Philippines — Cross-platform social media app Rakuten Viber launched a new dating feature in the Philippines, a day after the country marked Valentine's Day.
The new feature joins present platforms for dating, such as apps like Bumble and Tinder, as well as Meta's Facebook Dating feature.
The difference now is that users can smoothly transfer to a proper messaging platform where they can keep building connections securely and privately.
A survey by Pew Research Center found just less than half of American adults consider online dating as a very or somewhat safe way to meet people, though a little more than half say they have come across someone they believe was trying to scam them.
The latter statistic is reflected in a separate study conducted in the Philippines by TransUnion late last year, where the digital fraud rate in Filipino dating platforms and other online communities is at 18%, over 6% higher than the global average.
Related: International report warns against loss of control over AI
Only verified Viber users can create free profiles on the new feature, and these users have registered mobile numbers, which are kept hidden from others.
Dating profiles — visible only to those with similar profiles — are separate from the main account to ensure private activity from primary connections. The app said it is applying moderation techniques by both machine and humans for a positive experience.
Premium features like Who Liked Me are already available in the country, and more will roll out globally in other countries in the coming months.
Viber's Senior Director for Asia-Pacific David Tse said the new feature was developed after a series of focus group study, which revealed that people want genuine connections with real people and high-quality matches but they are hindered by privacy concerns.
"Our mission as a super app is to create safe and trusted connections, and this extends to the dating world, providing users with much-needed peace of mind," Tse said in a statement. "Given these measures, we hope we can further protect our users from fake profiles and love scams."
RELATED: OpenAI unveils 'Operator' agent that handles web tasks
