A new dating app that aims to remove the veil of anonymity, catfishing, and criminal activity is launching this month to create a safe space for singles to date.

Safer Date is the first and only dating site that requires ID checks for every sign-up, eradicating anonymity and fake profiles. The application is also the only dating site to carry out thorough global criminal background checks, insolvency checks, and addicts register checks on every applicant, regardless of gender. The site prioritises user protection, making it the safest online dating platform in the world.

Online dating related crimes have risen by 382% in the past five years* and existing platforms have no protection features in place for their users, with no legal standard for the industry. Safer Date was set up to address this problem and prevent known criminals from using dating sites to target their victims.

Following a traumatic personal experience at the hands of a man she met online, North East mum, Elaine Parker, founded Safer Date. As CEO, Elaine says an online dating platform that has safety at its core is long overdue. She explains: “I’m fully committed to changing the online dating world for good. After meeting a man online, what seemed like a fairytale relationship soon turned into months of domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, stalking, and harassment.

“As a society, we must have better conversations about the ease in which people can pretend to be someone else online. The online dating world has become a haven for emboldening fraudsters and criminals to manipulate anonymity for their personal gain. Users of well-known dating sites deserve better protection in what is an unregulated and unethical industry. I want Safer Date to change that.”

Phil Jackman, lead for CyberNorth, the region’s cybersecurity cluster, said: “Cybercrime is not victimless, it often involves the theft of personal data, either to demand money or for other malicious purposes.

“The Northeast has a growing reputation in the development of cybersecurity and it is exciting to see the launch of Safer Date to address the very real issue of personal safety in online dating.”

The app will come with a range of features that ensures full transparency for users. In addition to background checks, Safer Date prevents anyone from being bombarded with messages by only allowing one message request to be sent to anyone that you have not yet matched with. The app also tackles ghosting by introducing a ‘graceful goodbye’ as a way of politely ending the conversation.

Safer Date will first launch to users in London and Manchester, the cities with the highest rates of domestic abuse last year*, with a nationwide rollout planned in 2022.

The app is available on iOS and android with affordable introductory pricing starting from £30/month and no hidden charges. Users can sign up via the following link: https://saferdate.co.uk/safer-date-app/