‘Bumble’ Dating App Bans Pictures Including Guns from Platform

Popular dating app Bumble has banned users from posting pictures that feature guns, in protest of mass shootings and gun violence.

In a statement, the dating app declared, “Bumble was founded with safety in mind. From the start, our mission has been to build a social network rooted in respect and kindness.”

We were founded with safety, respect and kindness in mind. 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. https://t.co/fC4rPlGJ8y pic.twitter.com/Qmy7zLatRP

— Bumble (@bumble) March 5, 2018

“Online behavior can both mirror and predict how people treat each other in the real world. Bumble has a responsibility to our users and a larger goal to encourage accountability offline. In the past, when we’ve had an opportunity to make our platform safer, we’ve taken action, banning hate speech and inappropriate sexual content from the Bumble app,” they proclaimed. “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.”

“From today on, we will begin the process of moderating all new and previously uploaded photos for the presence of guns,” Bumble explained, adding that they would also be “making a $100,000 donation to March For Our Lives, the organization founded by the brave young survivors of the Parkland tragedy.”

“We stand with them, and join them in working towards a non-violent future,” the company concluded, before noting that the new changes would exclude “users in military or law enforcement in uniform.”

Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe, who filed a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Tinder in 2014,  sits on the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Technology and Society, which pledges to crackdown on “hate speech.”