Social Startup Fide Launches Safer Dating App to Thwart Creeps; Women Everywhere Rejoice

The innovative app brings peace of mind to meeting strangers from the internet

LOS ANGELES, CA. – February 22, 2022 – Dating during lockdown presented some unique challenges. Namely, how the hell to meet strangers from the internet without worrying about getting murdered when nothing is open. While the lockdown was eventually lifted and meetings in more public places became semi-normal again, the problem remained — how do you know the person you’re meeting is trustworthy?

And so, Fide was born. Fide (as in “verified”) lets users sign up with a phone number, after which the first step in membership is verifying their identity with a selfie and a picture of their ID. Fide’s AI (the same used by banks for KYC and AML purposes)  compares the two and, if all is clear, unlocks the rest of the service. 

Once verified, users look each other up by username, create a plan, and meet. Users exchange no personal information in the app. Fide, in turn, makes a digital record of the meeting that consolidates all the relevant details, encrypts it, and stores it away privately unless there’s an emergency. If there is, Fide can rapidly share the meeting details with Law Enforcement or other proper authorities. 

While this function in and of itself is potentially life-saving (sparing police from having to piece things together on their own and shaving hours off of investigation times), Fide’s team hopes that the real benefit of the app will be as a deterrent to any would-be bad actors who’d otherwise be able to prey on the vulnerable. 

“Women shouldn’t have to remember to share locations and check in and jump through all these hoops when they’re just trying to have a good time. Fide is set-it-and-forget-it.”

-Luke Harris, Fide CEO & Founder

While other solutions and workarounds exist to make the prospect of dating safer, they’re all highly imperfect solutions. Most  importantly, they’re too much work. “Women shouldn’t have to remember to share locations and check in and jump through all these hoops when they’re just trying to have a good time,” says Fide CEO & Founder, Luke Harris. “Fide is set-it-and-forget-it.”

Additionally, existing products, even paid ones, have their vulnerabilities. Purpose-built panic buttons are reactive, rather than preventative (“Great, now the police know where to find my body,” jokes Harris). Location sharing is imprecise. And there’s no guarantee the person you’re talking to is who they say they are. Fide believes they’ve solved all these issues, and rolled it into an easy-to-use package that gives peace of mind while still respecting privacy. 

It’s not a background check, but this is by design — aside from the fact that background checks are costly, they’re incredibly invasive. What’s more, an estimated 65 million Americans have criminal records, many of which don’t tell the complete story — even if a person was simply put in handcuffs and released, that will still show up. Fide is simply an assurance that the person is who they say they are, and they’re willing to take responsibility for meeting you. “I didn’t want dudes to have a reason not to use the app,” Harris continues, “If a girl asked me to submit to a background check before a date, I’d refuse. On the other hand, it’s probably safe to assume somebody not willing to use Fide is probably a sketchball.” 

Fide isn’t just for dates, either — users can designate their meeting type, from Study Sessions to Hookups to Business Meetings — even buying or selling something expensive on Craigslist, where buyers often are asked to show up with cash. 

Fide is available now for iOS and Android for a one-time fee of 99 cents (an introductory price that will change as new features are added), though Harris & Co. are currently working with universities to combat campus sexual assault by bringing the service to students for free.

Fast Facts on Fide

• All users must verify a phone number and their identities

• Users do not exchange personal info on the app; they make first contact on other services like Tinder or Craigslist and exchange Fide usernames

• Users look each other up by username then set:

  • Date

  • Time

  • Meeting location

  • Meeting type

  • Notes

• Upon arrival, users get a notification that the other party is there

• Users are prompted to confirm meetings on arrival

• Location is tracked for 30 minutes before and after the date

• Entries stay totally confidential, unless requested by law enforcement

• Records encrypted with bank-grade security

• Costs 99 cents

• iOS link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fide-verified-connections/id1596837415 

• Android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.linktapp 

Company Info

Fide (Latin for “trust”) was founded in July 2021 with a simple goal in mind — to make dating a safer proposition for vulnerable populations who’d otherwise have to worry about the person they were meeting. Emphasizing responsibility while still respecting privacy, Fide’s records are totally anonymous and data isn’t sold or shared with anyone beyond the proper authorities. With Fide, users can have the peace of mind to be their authentic selves.

Founder Bio

Media Resources

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