Bumble Tighten Photo Rules to Increase Safety, and Decrease Stupidity

digital90210.com

The more I hear about Bumble, the more I like it. It started out as a more female-friendly alternative to Tinder, and now it's becoming sort of the Snapchat to Tinder's Facebook, getting in on the ground floor with all the best ideas and generally proving itself to be a much nicer place to be. Their latest might surprise some though, as they haven't added anything, and they've actually taken things away.

That might sound a little ominous, but it's actually for the good of everyone on the app. Firstly, users can no longer post pictures of their children, as a means of reducing the risk of anyone getting observed, contacted or even approached by paedophiles. It might seem like people wouldn't upload images of their children anyway, but often they use it as a way of making it clear that they're parents.

Users are still allowed to post images of themselves with their children, but they advise them to consider blurring the child's face out. As well as this, Bumble have also banned certain types of mirror selfie. People will no longer be able to post mirror selfies or general images of themselves either in underwear or wearing a swimming costume inside.

The reasoning behind this is pretty simple - Bumble isn't a hookup app, and it's not interested in accommodating the kind of people who are only on there to advertise themselves for meaningless sex. Some people may have an issue with that, but it seems like if that's all you're after then you should probably just take your business over to Tinder.

I'm not one to judge, there's nothing wrong with that approach, and I don't think Bumble are judging either. They even made the point that 86% of the profiles that are reported for inappropriate behaviour include such photos, and more mirror profile photos are rejected than any other kind. Given the way Bumble is laid out, it was never really going to be a haven for dudebros, or whatever the female equivalent of a dudebro is.

TechCrunch

That being said, you can still post a swimming costume picture if it's outside (ie, actually at the beach) and workout mirror selfies are still allowed, if cringe-worthy. Bumble are also now saying that profile pictures must show you clearly, particularly your eyes, and you need to mix at least a few pictures of just you in if you're using group images more, as other users need to actually know which one you are.

There are all good decisions on Bumble's part, and while some might argue that they are perhaps a bit overbearing, they will hopefully make the ethos and nature of the app more apparent.

Callum Davies

Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @Songbird_Callum

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