Swipebuster: The New Website That Lets People Snoop On Others' Tinder Usage
For just under $5, Swipebuster lets users check on their partner’s Tinder use.
— -- A new website named Swipebuster promises to reveal Tinder users’ habits - potentially enabling people to find out if a significant other has been “cheating” using the popular dating app.
It’s a resource Jenny Dey says she could have used. The Los Angeles resident recently broke up with her boyfriend after a friend reported having seen his profile on Tinder.
“It made me question the entire relationship. It was heartbreaking,” Dey, who was not on Tinder at the time, told ABC News. “I found so many messages between him and other girls.”
“Even though there wasn't any sexual intercourse involved, I do feel like that is a sign of cheating just because you're looking for something better,” she said.
For $4.95, Swipebuster – which launched this week -- allows users to learn about their significant other’s Tinder habits.
“All you need is someone's first name, age, and general location. And what will come up ... is when the person last logged onto Tinder, who they're interested in meeting, and a collection of photographs that they have used on the app,” said Emily Jane Fox, a VanityFair.com writer.
Fox was among the first to try out Swipebuster. She and her Vanity Fair colleagues used the site to find people that they knew were active Tinder users and found Swipebuster’s results to be 99 percent accurate.
“We searched about a dozen or so people in a variety of cities ... with the exception of about one very common name in New York City, every single person we were looking for turned up,” she said.
The founder of Swipebuster, who wishes to remain anonymous, told ABC News he created the site to make the public more aware that information shared on Tinder is not as private as many users may have originally thought. He said he also wants to alert people that some significant others may harbor Tinder secrets.
Tinder has long battled charges that it attracts cheaters. According to some reports, a large number of Tinder users are already in relationships. Tinder disputes this, saying just 2 percent of its users are married.
"As one of the largest social platforms in the world with 10 billion connections made in just the last few years, most people know of at least one friend or colleague who has either met their significant other on Tinder or is on currently on Tinder to date, make new friends and create all kinds of meaningful relationships," Tinder told ABC News in a statement. "The searchable information on Swipebuster is public information that Tinder users have on their profiles."
"No private user information is being made public," the company said. "If you want to see who's on Tinder we recommend saving your money and downloading the app for free. Additionally, all user profiles on Tinder are authenticated using public information from Facebook — including first name, age, and mutual friends — which are inalterable to help ensure that users are making authentic connections with real people."
As for allegations that Tinder may attract potential cheaters, Tinder told ABC News its app, “is definitely not the place to try and meet people if you are intent on concealing your true identity or intentions.”
Dey thinks Swipebuster is a good idea. When she does start dating again, she says she’s going to make sure any new boyfriends put their swiping days behind them.
“If they still have Tinder on their phone, then [they're] still looking and that's what it translates (as) to me ...,” she said.