Florida shooting: Dating app bans members from using weapons as profile pictures
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
By Elizabeth Ogunbamowo
Bumble, a dating application, has recently declared its members banned from the act of posing with guns in their profile pictures after the school shooting crisis that occurred in Parkland, Florida.
The company stated that it would start screening new and existing profile photos of users in a bid to remove pictures featuring weapons with the exception of military and law enforcement officers who will be allowed to show weapons in their photos. It is worthy of note that in February alone, 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and since then, survivors have campaigned for stricter gun control in the US.
Ina statement released by the company, Bumble said that it was taking an opportunity to make the platform safer. “As mass shootings continue to devastate communities across the country, it’s time to state unequivocally that gun violence is not in line with our values, nor do these weapons belong on Bumble”. Bumble says it has 30 million members worldwide, and the company already employs 5,000 moderators. They will now filter out photos of guns in addition to nudity, knives and hate speech. However, photos displayed on a Bumble profile from a linked Instagram account will not be screened.
The company further explained that online behavior can both mirror and predict how people treat each other in the real world. Bumble is said to have a responsibility to users and a larger goal to encourage accountability. The app’s founder Whitney Wolfe Herd acknowledged that the ban would affect law-abiding gun owners, hobbyists and hunters. “It’s a very tricky battle we’ve chosen to take on, but I’d rather pursue this than just ignore it,” she said.
Crispng also gathered that the company had donated $100,000 (£72,000) to the March “For Our Lives campaign”, which was founded by survivors of the Parkland shooting. “We stand with them, and join them in working towards a non-violent future,” the company said.
