Facebook is launching a matchmaking feature aimed at helping users “find love” through the social media site.
The company announced Thursday that users who are 18 years or older will have the opportunity to opt into the service to design a dating profile based on Facebook’s suggestions. Profiles are passed to other users based on interests, preferences and other info.
“It takes the work out of creating a dating profile and gives you a more authentic look at who someone is,” Facebook said in its announcement.{mosads}
Users will not receive suggested dating profiles from their Facebook friends unless they use a feature called “Secret Crush.” Through Secret Crush, people can put users that they already know from Facebook or Instagram on a list. If both users add each other to the list, they receive a match, according to Facebook.
Facebook is allowing Instagram photos to be transferred to dating profiles and pledged to do the same for Instagram and Facebook Stories by the end of the year.
The company acknowledged safety concerns and said it worked with experts to develop protections for users, including options to block and report others on the platform.
“Finding a romantic partner is deeply personal, which is why we built Dating to be safe, inclusive and opt-in,” Facebook said in its announcement. “Safety, security and privacy are at the forefront of this product.”
Facebook Dating will allow users to share details of a meetup as well as their live location with a trusted source over Messenger.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post that he’s “excited” to see how the feature pans out.
Facebook Dating is currently available in 19 other countries and will be released in Europe in early 2020, according to the statement.