Key Takeaways

What can dating apps do to address domestic violence? 

This is a question one Washington state lawmaker is attempting to answer.

“Our state’s criminal legal system is a nightmare for victims,” Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, told The Center Square. “The system is designed for the protection of defendants, not victims.” 

That’s why Davis said she is sponsoring House Bill 2071, which proposes an excise tax on dating app owners. 

The bill proposes dating apps start paying $1 per month for each person in Washington state who uses the app. It would be the app owner’s responsibility to tell the government how many people in Washington state are using their app each month. 

According to the bill, this tax money would go to a worthy cause. 

“Taxes collected under this chapter must be deposited into the domestic violence services account [to be] created in the state treasury. All receipts paid from the tax imposed in this chapter must be deposited in the account.” 

How Much Money Are We Talking?

Dating app users download, delete, and then re-download their preferred platforms all the time, which makes it difficult to predict just how much tax money companies would have to pay. But Davis estimates the number would be somewhere in the millions.

“I am waiting for an estimate from the Department of Revenue,” Davis told The Center Square. “By my own calculations, there are approximately 500K current online dating users in WA state, which would translate to approximately $6 million per year in revenue.” 

That estimated revenue — $6 million/year in taxes — is steep, but Davis explained how it actually helps the state — and its residents — stay physically and emotionally safe in an increasingly unpredictable online world. 

“The purpose of this tax proposal is to keep the state’s promise to crime victims and not defund victims’ services,” she said. 

Why Should Online Dating Platforms Foot the Bill? 

According to Davis, there’s a direct correlation between online dating and domestic violence that justifies the tax proposal.

Just over half (51%) of the women surveyed by Pew Research said they’d had a negative experience while online dating. In the same study, 49% of U.S. adults surveyed told Pew that online dating isn’t entirely safe. Sixty percent of respondents said they believe that online dating companies should run background checks on whoever wants to create a profile. 

“Online dating victims are 2x as likely to be physically abused, 2.5x as likely to be psychologically abused, and 5x as likely to be sexually coerced once targeted through technology,” according to a study by Urban Institute. 

Considering how 11% of the women surveyed by Pew have also received threats of physical harm, it’s evident that dating platforms have a role to play in keeping users safe. 

In Washington state, HB 2071 posits that dating platforms can help fund important services that aren’t typically available with insurance. “The bill would also create a sustainable funding stream for domestic violence intervention treatment (DVIT), also known as perpetrator treatment or batterer’s treatment,” Davis explained. 

Many perpetrators of domestic violence don’t have the resources they need to learn non-violent coping skills. “Most DV perpetrators go untreated,” Davis added. “This is a huge public safety problem.” 

But with HB 2071, Davis said she hopes online dating platforms can be part of the solution. 

“I am open to feedback from the online dating companies about how best to collect this information,” she said. “It would be my strong suspicion that companies could pull this data from existing systems with relative ease.”

Are dating apps willing to pay more in taxes and submit monthly user reports if it means supporting domestic violence victims in Washington state? Only time will tell.