I never thought it would have to come to this, but with over 10 million daily active users and over 100 million downloads, there are some who still can’t retire their Tinder profiles when they’re obviously in a relationship.
Rather than playing cyber-sleuth on your own, a new site/service called Swipebuster launched to help you spy on your significant other. Yes, the story went viral and it’s targeted to those who aren’t taking down their Tinder profiles.
A Global Index report showed that reported that 42% of Tinder users aren’t actually single, so is Tinder a social networking app, a dating app, or a place for couples to look for Plan B on a lonely night?
I say, “seek and ye shall find.” If you think your SO has an active Tinder profile, chances are one of your friends will bust them and let you know. But if you want to see it for yourself, Swipe Buster will do the deed, for a cost.
Related: Help! I Found My Boyfriend on Tinder
Here’s how Swipebuster Works
- For $4.99 curious users can input into a search field the name, age, and location of anyone they want to check up on.
- Swipe Buster looks for users in that area who fit the search criteria and allows the searcher to see user photos, last log on time, and whether they’re seeking men or women.
If you’re wondering how Swipebuster is able to retrieve this information, it’s because your info on Tinder is PUBLIC. Swipebuster retrieves the information from Tinder’s application programming interface, or API, which holds all of the information about its users.
Related: This Strategy Ups Your Tinder Game
Since Tinder’s API and database are public, this information is easily accessible to anyone with an understanding of computer code. But the average person isn’t a coder, so they do background checks, Google searches, and now they have Swipe Buster, as well.
Despite wanting to expose cheaters, the man behind the genius of Swipebuster has other motives.
“There is too much data about people that people themselves don’t know is available,” the creator, who prefers to remain anonymous, told Vanity Fair via phone. “Not only are people oversharing and putting out a lot of information about themselves, but companies are also not doing enough to let people know they’re doing it.”
The intent of Swipebuster was to use a popular company and a juicy lure to educate people about how much of their personal information is available to the public and how easy it is to access it without hacking or even breaking any laws.
What do you think? Do you like the idea of being able to expose someone whose relationship status isn’t single, or does it make you uncomfortable that this information is available for anyone around the globe to see?
Related: How to Delete Your Tinder Account
If you want our opinion, save the money and keep your wallet closed. Ask your boyfriend or girlfriend if they’re still on Tinder if that’s where you met and wait for an honest reply and save the anxiety and the $4.95.
We’d like to hear your comments.
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Julie Spira is America's Top Online Dating Expert. She's an award-winning dating coach who's been helping singles find love online for 25+ years. Follow @JulieSpira on IG.
