Tinder’s new feature gets mixed reviews

CALIFORNIA, U.S. - Tinder officially released its new product called ‘Places’, what some people are calling a higher form of stalking and others have dubbed a convenient new feature.

The Tinder app released Places, which tracks every public space a user has been in, including restaurants, the gym and even the local grocery store.

The feature, which was introduced to make finding love more convenient, also connects a user with people who have been in the same location. 

Yet, some people have said that feature is invasive, creepy and takes stalking to the next level.

The update has, so far been rolled out in Sydney, Brisbane and Santiago in Chile, is expected to go global soon after.

According to Tinder, the idea is to give users a mutual interest — whether that be sport, dog-walking, or drinking alone in a dark bar. 

The feature has been powered through Foursquare, a search-and-discovery service app which identifies public spaces.

Addressing the privacy concerns that the update raises, Tinder has said that “Places” is an opt-in feature - which means that a user will have to activate it for people to be able to snoop on their whereabouts.

Tinder said on its blog, “Now, you not only have something in common, you also have a genuine icebreaker and your first-date spot.”

Further, Samantha Stevens, the app’s director of location products said, “Our goal is to create more genuine connections and higher quality conversations.”